Fix You
by Adrianna Zeller
Summary: When Loki Laufeyson is re-instated into school after a mysterious expulsion, the student body doesn't take kindly to his arrival but Steve Rogers becomes intrigued by Loki's day to day interactions with those who keep pushing him down and becomes anxious to learn more. (High School!AU. Slash!pairings.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Nothing too bad yet but there is some language and a minor violence, nothing graphic**

**This is sort of an introduction chapter, it's just going through the majority of the first week, things will start to pick up soon I promise. Any questions or critiques/comments are welcomed. :)**

**THIS IS A HIGH SCHOOL!AU**

* * *

Steve Rogers could cut the tension in the building with a knife.

It was the second month of the school year, Steve was in his third year of high school and he'd never witnessed the student body so quiet. The students whispered amongst themselves, none catching the eyes of others, all as if they were anxious about their secrets. Steve kept his head low on his way towards his locker; most ignored his added presence, his friends giving him small smiles and nods. All of the teachers were standing watch in their doorways, sipping their coffee and staring solemnly into the hallway. Steve shared a small smile with Mr. Coulson, his US History teacher, who gave him a small wink as he passed.

Natasha was leaning against the locker next to Clint Barton's, looking up as Steve approached her. Somehow, Natasha and Clint always knew what was going on.

"Hey, Nat…what's up with everyone this morning?"

He kept his voice low, glancing at the few students around them. Barton opened his mouth to answer, Natasha jabbing him sharply in the ribs, hissing at him through her teeth to be quiet. Steve furrows his brow as Natasha shakes her head and turns away from him. Barton gives him a sympathetic look as Steve moves on, continuing towards his locker. As Steve put in his combination, he could feel everyone shifting away and staring in his direction, all of them keeping their distance. He'd never felt so isolated. Steve began to wonder what he'd done wrong. He ran a hand nervously through his hair, thinking of all the stupid stuff he'd done in the past three years; sharing homework with his football friends, the parties, sneaking into the school after hours…just dumb stuff he'd done with his friends.

Nothing harmful.

Steve felt his hands clam up, placing any books he didn't need into his locker and nearly jumping out of his skin when he noticed the locker door next to his was open. The locker to his right belonged to Bucky Barnes, his best friend since grade school, and the locker to his left…that one had always been vacant.

Students were still whispering amongst themselves, staring in Steve's direction—but not at Steve. He pretended to look through his phone, waiting at his locker to discover this new neighbor. A pale, bony hand grasped the door of the locker, two voices conversing on the other side. Steve held his breath, studying the faces of the other students, still pretending to mind his own as the door shut to reveal a boy. He was pale and thin and his eyes would spark a hint of a green when he talked. Conversing with him was Darcy Lewis, captain of the debate team. She brushed some of her dark hair over her shoulder, giving the boy a small wave and walking down the hall. The boy kept his head low, glancing over at Steve who didn't realize he was staring until their eyes locked. He could hear the whispers grow louder as he hesitated to say something the boy turning away and walking down the hall. They all turned their heads away, keeping silent as he passed; but the boy kept his head high, ignoring their jeers and looks.

The bell rings.

Steve shuts his locker making his way towards his first class—Chemistry—stumbling inside with the rest of his classmates. The classroom broke out into hushed whispers as they took their seats, Steve pulling a notebook from his bag and setting it on his desk.

"Alright everyone, settle down, please," Dr. Banner clears his throat, loosening his tie as he takes his place at the front. The class falls silent immediately all of them knowing better then to test Dr. Banner's good mood. "Now…Principle Fury is about to announce the eleventh grade down to the auditorium to address any…_reservations_ with our newest addition to the student body."

Christine Everhart's hand shot up in the air, Dr. Banner quirking a brow in her direction. "Is it true Loki Laufeyson was expelled for drugs but is being reinstated this year because the school board was heavily paid off?"

"What are you talking about? He got kicked out for pulling a knife on Clint Barton!"

"No, it was because he-"

"ENOUGH!" the whole class jumps, Dr. Banner pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath. "Loki Laufeyson's re-instatement into this school is not any of your business and none of the teachers want to hear a word of it, do I make myself clear?"

The whole class nods slowly falling silent once more. The speaker system crackles as it turns on, a man clearing his throat on the other end.

"_This is Principle Fury-after the conclusion of this morning's announcements all eleventh grade students are required to attend a brief assembly in the auditorium. Thank you."_

Steve sighs, furrowing his brow and rolling his pencil up and down on his desk. The announcements were same as always, club meetings, another big win for the football team on Friday—which the class cheered for, everyone turning to give Steve a smile as he humbly waved them off, Steve becoming lost in thought. Why did it matter if Loki was back in school? He couldn't remember any big fight or dramatic expulsion other than the few spats he had with some of the boys in the bathrooms and locker room but those weren't technically Loki's fault—at least not that Steve had noticed or heard.

"Alright, everyone on your feet if you're eleventh grade and down to the auditorium," Dr. Banner directed them out the door. "Storm, Osborne, don't you dare think of running off somewhere else, this assembly is _mandatory_."

Out of the corner of his eye Steve could see Darcy Lewis skipping past the rest of the students in the hall, grabbing and tugging on what looked like Loki, both of them ducking into the ladies' room. Steve blinks, furrowing his brow and waiting to see if anyone had noticed-

"This is bullshit," Clint grumbles, scuffing his shoes on the floor. "Why the hell do we need to go to an assembly about that little rat being back in school-"

"Loki being re-instated on the same day is meant to be a coincidence." Natasha slips through the other students as silent as a whisper to walk beside Steve. "Principle Fury doesn't want there to be any _violence_, Clint. And don't go starting any fights with him, Thor will bash your skull in."

Clint rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to retort, Steve interrupting. "I think people just need to let it go. So what if he's back in school? He's not hurting anyone."

"Yet-"

Natasha smacks Barton in the back of the head, giving Steve her smile. "Thank you, Steve."

"Why do you smile at him? You always smile at him-"

"Maybe it's because you're so damn ugly, Clint." Bucky drapes his arm over Steve's shoulders, grinning. He gives Natasha a wink, who rolls her eyes and looks a way.

"Shut up, Bucky, Natasha can't even look at you you're so ugly!"

Steve drapes his arm over Bucky, letting him lead the four of them into the auditorium, laughing and punching each other. They slide into an aisle, Natasha leaving a seat open on the end. Clint pokes at her side and whispers into her ear continually until she jabs him with her hand just under his ribs, knocking the breath out of him and making him cough. Bucky laughs at the pair of them, Steve taking his chance to look around. Nearly everyone from his grade was there, some of the football players chanting and laughing back and forth. All of the eleventh grade teachers were standing at the doors, Ms. Hill denying exit to a boy who looked as though his bladder were about to burst.

"Settle down, everyone."

Principle Fury clears his throat. The lights start to dim, everyone taking their seats and Pepper Potts slipping in next to Natasha. Steve could feel everyone tense as Principle Fury takes his place at the podium, looking out over everyone.

"I would like to address some issues that have been brought to my attention-"

"Why is Laufeyson back in school? I thought he was expelled!"

Everyone begins talking at once, Steve slouching back in his seat and crossing his arms. Clint starts to chant with the rest of the crowd, all of them outraged by Loki Laufeyson's return. Natasha grabs Barton's ear, pulling him back into his seat and hissing something to him in Russian. Bucky laughs, nudging Steve who returns the smile.

"Quiet down!" Ms. Hill yells from the back of the room, her eyes narrowed in on the group of football players in the middle rows.

"Mr. Laufeyson has every right to be in this school and his re-instatement is the school board's concern but that is not why we are here." Fury pauses for effect, a few of the students whispering amongst themselves. "Due to this most recent event I am concerned for the safety of my students and am addressing the eleventh grade especially because I will not tolerate bullying in my school. No fighting or harassment whatsoever—I will not tolerate it! Do I make myself clear?"

* * *

"You know, these rumors are getting a little out of hand." Loki glances at Darcy, barely paying her any mind. She peels a wrapper off a butterscotch, popping it into her mouth. "It's only been one class and they're saying you've killed a guy. I think this assembly's just going to make things worse."

Loki shrugs, blowing smoke out the bathroom window. He'd perched himself on a small shelf right by the small window. No smell, no evidence.

"Do you just not care?"

"No."

Darcy stares at him for a moment, letting out a laugh. "If you say so." She shifts the candy around with her tongue. "Just don't drag me into your little pool of lies, okay?"

"You do realize that no one really cares about the debate team, much less the captain?"

She snorts, shifting the candy to speak. "You're just jealous that I'm the only one who can possibly win an argument against you."

"Mmhmm."

"You're not even trying!" Darcy grins, poking his side. "Is someone grumpy because everyone's scared he's going to gut them-"

"Are you captain of the debate team because you don't know when to shut up?"

Darcy scowls at him, punching him sharply in the arm. It didn't hurt but Loki still rubs away his wounded pride, turning back towards his locker. "Hey, if you're going to be a dick-"

"No, I-" Loki sighs, flicking the cigarette out the window. He shuts it, hand lingering on the cool surface. "I don't want to be here." Darcy makes a face, pulling out another candy and holding it out to him. Loki looks up at the gesture, studying her face before taking the candy and giving her a small nod.

"Don't worry; they'll leave you alone soon enough. They're all mindless idiots, remember?" Loki gives her a small smile, hopping down from the shelf and offering her a cigarette. She shakes her head, shifting the candy around. "So skipping the assembly was fun, right? No angry glares at the back of your head and no awkward moments from Principle Fury?"

Loki snorts, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, Darcy doing the same.

"You know this isn't going to be easy."

"I know." Darcy smiles, wrapping an arm around him and resting her head on his. "How bad could it be?"

* * *

Steve ground the end of his pencil between his teeth, staring at the ground as he walked. It was the end of the day and the assembly only seemed to heighten the students' enthusiasm for gossip. Nobody really knew why Loki Laufeyson had dropped out, only Thor and a few of the administrators, but no one dare ask Thor. Not even Steve dared to ask Thor, and they'd been best friends since middle school. But the way Steve figured, it wasn't any of his business. He could remember a few times after a game when he'd stay at Thor's for the night, watching Loki stumble into the house with his eyes glazed over, Thor quickly to his feet to help him silently into his room. Those were always the mornings when Thor's mother looked as though she'd cried herself to sleep and yet she'd managed to cook a four course breakfast before 9am that Steve was always forced to eat.

There was no doubt that Loki was a mystery and that's what intrigued Steve. He'd known Thor since middle school which meant that in a way he knew Loki too, he'd just never paid attention. Loki was quiet, he kept to himself, it was hard for Steve to notice someone like that even though he was exactly the same way. If it wasn't for football he'd be another face in the hall.

"Yo, Rogers, don't forget about practice today!"

He looks up and smiles, waving off some of his teammates as he puts in his combination. It was going to be a rough school year. Steve glances to his left, noticing the vulgar writing that had been painted on the locker door. He sighs, putting away his books and nearly jumping again as Loki appears next to him silently. Loki mumbles something under his breath, studying the door and reaching to put in his combination. Steve hesitates, one hand still holding a book in his locker and staring straight ahead, his shoulders tensing.

"I—I could help y-you with that…if you'd like," he pauses, making a face. "Cleaning off your locker, I mean…"

Loki stares at him for a moment, turning away to finish his business and shutting his locker. "No."

Steve watches as he walks away towards a waiting Darcy, turning back to his own locker and cursing himself for sounding so stupid. He slams it shut, throwing his bag over his shoulder and making his way towards the entrance. Mr. Coulson gave him a small wave as he passed, going back to his conversation with Ms. Hill and Principle Fury.

"Mr. Rogers," the principle greets him with a stern nod. Steve smiles and greets him in response, continuing his way out the front doors.

Most of the students lingered in the parking lot, conversing with one another before making their way to homes or practices or jobs. Steve smiles at nearly everyone, waving as people say hello and grinning at Barton as he backflips off Natasha's car. He tosses his bag into his truck, pulling out his football equipment when he receives a playful punch in his ribs, tossing his equipment down and head locking his attacker.

Bucky laughs, continuing to hit Steve in the ribs. "No fair, shrimp, you're supposed to be the submissive one!"

"Bucky, I haven't been the _submissive one_ since sixth grade!"

Both laugh, wrestling with one another when without warning the parking lot goes silent. Bucky keeps jabbing Steve in the side until he releases him, watching as Loki and Darcy make their way through the rows of students and cars, Loki still holding his head high just like he had all day.

"I just think it's pointless to have an English class, we all already suck at English and you're the only person I know who even _reads_…"

Darcy had her arm looped through his, holding him protectively and watching the other students as they passed. She leads Loki to her car, throwing their bags in the trunk.

"Hey, there, Lewis! Looking fine in that shirt…those your girls peeking out?"

"Eat a fat one, Osborn."

The truck next to them had five or six football players, some of them starting to snicker and laugh amongst themselves.

Darcy carries on her conversation with Loki, slowly closing the trunk. "Still…I don't understand why we have to take it." A van pulling out of the parking lot honks its horn as it passes Darcy and Loki, Darcy turning with a grin to wave, calling out to them. "Hey, Jane, see you tomorrow!"

As Darcy turns back to Loki, two eggs are thrown.

The first hits Darcy's car.

The second hits Loki.

"Bullseye!"

Students begin to laugh, Loki wrinkling his nose at the feeling of the yolk sliding down his face. Darcy scowls at the boys in the truck, hooting with laughter, and she pulls off her shirt and uses it to wipe the egg off Loki's face, who seemed to be stunned from the egg hitting him.

"Oh, shut up, you assholes!"

"Nice bod, Lewis!"

Darcy gives them the finger as she leads Loki towards the car and opening the door for him to get in. She walks around the front of her car, climbing inside and starting it within a second, backing out and speeding her way through the parking lot, some of the students barely getting out of the way. The boys continue throwing eggs as Darcy's car speeds away, laughing and hooting.

Steve stares after them, his hands shoved in his pockets while watching the whole ordeal. He takes note of the players in the truck, all still laughing amongst themselves, the noise in the lot starting up again as people start to get in their cars.

It was going to be a long year.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything from the Marvel Universe**

**Warning: A little more language in this one**

**Hey guys! I did edit chapter one. I usually don't edit chapters after I post them but I really wasn't happy with the format. I kept most of the same stuff and am adding it throughout the other chapters. Hopefully three will be up soon!**

**I encourage any comments/critiques. 33**

* * *

Loki walks down the hall, keeping his eyes on the floor.

The week was rough so far, yes. He knew going back to school wasn't going to be easy, he hadn't exactly been a class favorite. Loki was opinionated, snarky, had a tendency to "pick fights"; the way he saw it he never picked a fight, he was always standing up for himself. He didn't like having other people fight his battles, not Thor, not Darcy, and especially not his so-called _parents_. But they were all just as stubborn as he was and wouldn't let him pick himself up without brushing him off first.

Though in all honesty, watching Darcy kick his attackers in the groin was always amusing.

He watches his feet as they took one step in front of the other, his hand gripping the strap of his bag protectively, its twin shoved in his pocket. Loki truly hated high school. Students conversed around him, all bees of the same hive, all buzzing noisily, awaiting the same fate. Loki hated them. Their very presence made his insides boil and his stomach turn to rot. He hated all of them.

A sharp slap on his ass, alerted him of Darcy's presence, her arm forcing its way around his, holding him tight in her grip. "Hey, princess, how's it going?" She pulls one of the buds from her ear, pulling off her hat when one of the teachers gives her a look.

Loki rolls his eyes, ignoring her annoying little nicknames for him. They'd been best friends since middle school so it didn't bother him as much as he let on.

"It's raining."

"You still suck at small talk, you know that, right?" Darcy grins, leading him down the hall.

"I was simply stating a fact. Why didn't you pick me up this morning, I had to ride with the oaf and his band of merry men."

Darcy laughs. "Your mom wouldn't let you walk?"

"Frigga said it was 'too wet' for me to walk all that way. I had an umbrella."

"Maybe she was worried you were going to skip class again. Come in the bathroom with me I need to fix my lipstick." She pulls him into the ladies' room, the current inhabitants giving Loki stern disapproving looks but moving aside for Darcy to claim a mirror. "So did you get grounded or a slap on the hand like usual?"

"Odin threatened that I wouldn't be allowed out on the weekends but Frigga argued with him all night about how I needed to be more 'social elite'—whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. I have you, what else do I need?"

"Eww…" some of the girls started giggling rather loudly, either not realizing the pair could hear them or not caring. Darcy snorts, smacking her lips together to even out the pigment.

"I don't know what ya'll are laughing at. I have an orgasm _every time_."

"Oh, please, Darcy, everyone knows you've never gotten laid. Even if you had, I doubt it would be with the obvious queer." Christine gives Darcy a smug look, glancing at Loki. "But I do have to ask—are you gay or is it true you only have gay-incest with your brother?"

The girls giggle, Loki not paying them any attention.

"God, shut up, Christine." Darcy rolls her eyes, digging through her cosmetic bag. "Weren't you the one who hooked up with Tony Stark only to have him call you by a different name _during_ sex? At least when we practice kissing Loki asks before shoving his tongue down my throat."

Christine knocks the cosmetic bag out of Darcy's hands, narrowing her eyes. "When did you become a self-righteous slut?"

"Slut? What I'm a slut now because I have more dirt on you than you do on me?" Darcy snorts, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "At least I'll make sure I can remember the name of the guy who pops my cherry."

"You bitch-"

"Christine is there a problem?" Natasha Romanoff quirks her brow and crosses her arms, watching them calmly. The girls all quickly dodge around her, keeping their eyes on the floor, Christine sneering at Darcy before following her friends, flicking her blonde hair in Natasha's face. Darcy crouches down, collecting her make-up, Natasha crouching down to do the same. Loki watches them, hiding his amusement from watching Darcy pick a fight in the girls' bathroom. "Try to stay out of trouble, Darce."

Darcy nods, smiling at Natasha. "Thanks." She puts the cosmetic bag back in her purse and hooks arms with Loki, leading him out of the bathroom. Her nails pinch his arm slightly, Loki choosing to ignore it. "That little blonde twat is lucky Nats walked in or I would've gutted her like a fish."

"You don't know how to gut fish, Darcy, you've never even been fishing before. Besides I thought your knife was confiscated at the beginning of the year?"

"I'd use a spoon, slow and painful." Darcy leads him down the hall towards his locker, sneering at some of the girls who were giving her a look. "You know I bet Sif would take out those skinny bitches."

Loki grunts, putting in his combination. "She probably would if Sif liked either of us."

"Sif likes me."

"Lucky you."

Darcy studies Loki's locker and sighs. "I'll be right back." She walks back towards the bathroom. Loki opens his locker, taking his time to change out books and attempting to ignore the curious stares he was getting from Steve Rogers. That annoyed Loki to no end. He couldn't get a read on whether Steve was trying to be nice and was genuinely concerned or if he was the same as all of Thor's other friends—simply waiting for the moment where he could get a good laugh. He shuts the door to his locker, studying the new writing with another grunt. 'FAGGOT' was spray painted across his locker door however it was spelled wrong—the idiots had but an 'E' instead of the proper 'O'. Needless to say, their attempts to chase him away were futile.

"I still find it weird that none of this is affecting you." Darcy walks up behind him with wet paper towels, scrubbing the vile insults off his locker. Loki shrugs, leaning against the locker next to his.

"It does, but if I let them know it affects me they'll just push harder."

Darcy nods, giving the locker another scrub. "You know…they're going to keep pushing 'til you snap-" The bell rings, two boys laughing as they run by, shoving Loki against the wall. Darcy scowls, throwing the wet towels after them and hitting one of them in the back of the head. "YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, RUN YOU SONS OF BITCHES!"

"_Darcy Lewis_."

Ms. Hill motions with a finger for Darcy to come here, Darcy turning to Loki as she walks, grinning. "I'll see you in history."

* * *

"Four hours? What are your parents going to say?"

Darcy rolls her eyes, looking over her detention slip. "Who gives a fuck, I have four hours of detention and those assholes have yet to get one." Loki nods, continuing to doodle in his notebook. "It's bullshit!" She watches him for a moment, shoving the piece of paper into her purse. "So are you going to the game on Friday? I could sneak you into the band section, I'm sure our director won't mind especially since all the teachers are worried the students are going to start a gang hit on you or something."

"I'm not sure I feel like watching Thor maul people during a public school event."

"I'll let you make fun of my flag uniform." Darcy grins, nudging him. "It's short and tight and _covered_ in sequins and glitter, I kid you not."

"I'll think about it."

Clint and Bucky run into the classroom and to the back row, both of them jumping on Steve at once, laughing and shouting about something. Darcy turns to watch them, rolling her eyes but smirking.

"What?"

Darcy hums, arranging herself in her seat so that she could fully turn to watch them wrestle one another. "Nothing. Steve Rogers has really filled out that bod though, hasn't he? He's like a little Thor but just as well-toned."

"I guess."

She scoffs, flicking a pencil at Loki's head. "Oh, please, like you haven't ogled him before!" Loki looks up and makes a face, throwing the pencil back at her. "But he's over at your house all the time, how could you not want to lick things off his chest?"

Loki shrugs.

"Even Mr. Coulson wants to lick things off of him-"

Mr. Coulson walks into the room with a sigh, quickly making his way to his desk and tossing his suit jacket onto the chair. He taught US History and Loki hated it; mostly because he couldn't understand it, the history of the United States was not common knowledge to him like it was to everyone else.

"Darcy Lewis, please turn around—I'll be passing back your tests and _some of you_ need to put in more study hours." Loki could feel Coulson's eyes glance at him, making him scowl. He already hated the class, why would he study for a class he doesn't give a shit about? Darcy smiles pleasantly, looking over her B-grade test. "Great job, Steven."

Clint lets out a laugh, punching Steve in the arm playfully. "Perfect score?! Rogers, you're an animal, how the hell do you know so much?"

"He pays _attention_ Barton which is more than I can say for you."

Coulson sets Loki's test on his desk face down, giving him a look. Loki ignores it and flips the corner of his paper up, making a face at his grade. It was worse than he thought it would be. Darcy pokes him, grinning and hissing through her teeth.

"What'd yah get?" She pulls the paper off his desk before he can object, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Fifty-six? Dude, you suck at history…"

"Because I don't know your country's history," Loki hisses back at her, snatching his paper away. Darcy rolls her eyes, pulling a chocolate bar out of her purse and setting it on his desk as an offering. He accepts, giving her a small nod. "You got an 89?"

"Yeah, I could've done better but I felt bad about you getting hit with that egg." Loki smiles to himself, tucking his test inside his notebook. It was Darcy's way of apologizing and there was no point in being mad at her. She'd just bother him even if he was. "Maybe you should ask Steve to help you study? He seems to be into the class."

"I'd rather drop dead."

Mr. Coulson finishes passing out the tests, placing any extras bag into his bag and taking his place at the front of the room. "Alright everyone, as I said I think some of you need to put more effort into your studying. I do not teach an easy class and I expect all of you to meet the expectations that I have assigned. Now today-" A loud bang echoes in the hallway, everyone turning their heads towards the door. "What in the world…" He walks over towards the door, brows knit together. "Stay in your seats." Coulson pokes his head out, watching as teachers usher their students back into the classrooms, staring down the hall where Thor Odinson had dented a locker door.

"Mr. Odinson-"

Principle Fury's voice was calm but direct, obviously trying not to anger him anymore but Thor's fists were clenched so tightly by his sides that his arms were trembling.

"MY BROTHER WAS HUMILIATED IN FRONT OF EVERYONE! I WANT JUSTICE!"

Coulson's students all stared at Loki who had turned pale and sunken into his seat, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Darcy was doing her best not to laugh, rubbing Loki's arm. Of course the oaf would embarrass him like this; it was only a matter of time before he heard about the egg-throwing. Loki hadn't told him because he knew this would be Thor's reaction.

Everyone on the first floor could hear Thor bellowing at Principle Fury and the counselors. Teachers continued to direct students out of the hall, a few lingering in an attempt to control the situation and some were brave enough to try and approach a fuming Thor.

"MY FAMILY WAS TOLD LOKI'S ACCEPTANCE BACK INTO THE SCHOOL MEANT HE WOULD HAVE FULL PROTECTION-"

"I understand, Mr. Odinson," Fury replies calmly, his face stoic and hands behind his back. "However your family was informed that Mr. Laufeyson's re-instatement into the school would cause negative reactions. The teachers are doing their best to watch over his studies-"

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

Dr. Banner walked up to him slowly from the side, laying a hand lightly on his arm. "It's okay, Thor, you need to calm down."

"Mr. Odinson…we as a school system are obligated to protect the students' safety from themselves and others, but you must understand that your brother is one student. We will not always be capable of watching over him but we will find whoever decided it was amusing to make him feel humiliated as you said. Now go to class, you're disrupting the peace of my hallways."

Thor grunts, turning and slinging his bag over his shoulder, storming down the hall.

"Mr. Odinson-"

Thor turns, walking back up to Principle Fury and taking a slip of paper from his hand. "Detention, I know…apologies…" Thor grumbles, storming down the hall towards the stairs, slamming the door opened and closed.

Fury narrows his eye at the students in the hall, turning on his heel. "Shouldn't you all be in class?"

Students scramble back into their rooms, teachers raising their voices and directing them to do so. Coulson walks back into the room, shutting the door behind him. Clint and Bucky start laughing hysterically, nearly falling out of their seats while Loki stays hunched down in his, trying to disappear with Darcy being of little comfort.

"Barton, Barnes, that's enough. Now all of you turn to chapter three in your books and follow along with the notes."

Loki covers his face with his hands, grumbling to himself. He hated them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Marvel universe**

**Warning: I don't think there's anything in this one...if there is it's language**

**Another chapter! Thanks to everyone who has started following/favorited/and reviewed. I really appreciate all the love. :3**

**Comments/critiques are welcomed!**

* * *

"_I will remind the student body that bullying will not be tolerated from any person, and if the behavior from the eleventh grade continues, we will cancel this year's homecoming activities and have a required seminar instead."_

"Think anyone will listen to Fury's warning?" Steve tossed the ball to Thor, stretching out his arms. Principle Fury had made the announcement not half an hour after Thor's blow up in the hallway. Most of the students had found this hysterical since Thor was twice the size of Fury and could probably pop his head like a grape but also because Thor's tantrum was about Loki, which meant Loki was getting harassed and laughed at by everyone.

Thor grunts in response, his brow furrowed in what would normally be concentration. Today it was irritation.

"They'd better."

"Don't go starting any fights, okay? We can't afford to lose you from the team."

"I won't unless they do." Thor throws the ball again, rolling his shoulder and sighing. Steve could tell how stressful this was for him; Thor was usually so engaged in conversation and would be grinning at everything that everyone said, but his face looked as though it would never hold a smile again and Steve hated seeing him so upset.

Steve knew who Loki's bullies were—everyone did—but no one wanted to be the tattle tale and whoever told would end up getting a beating. Not that Steve was scared, he just didn't want to add to the drama of the moment. Until Loki's bullies surfaced on their own, no real disciplinary action could be taken. Even if someone did tell, there was no guarantee that they would be found guilty. While it was unbearable to watch Loki take the harassment, Steve knew that right now it was only harassment and if it got out of hand, he'd step in.

"Come on, buddy, it's not so bad. Loki seems to be adjusting just fine."

"Loki refuses to let anyone know how he really feels. I'm sure it is bothering him as much as it is me…but you are right, my friend, starting a fight would be pointless." Thor throws it back to Steve, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sure I embarrassed him enough today."

"Yeah, a little," Steve teases, grinning. "His face was pure horror."

"Shut up!" Thor catches the ball and grins, throwing it back at Steve harder.

They toss the ball back and forth in pleasant silence, Steve thinking things over in his head. From what he could tell so far, Loki and Thor weren't always the best of brothers but Thor was severely protective of Loki which in response drove Loki up the wall. He could remember Loki's sneers and scowls towards Thor's unwanted affections but he could also remember Loki asking for Thor's help in simple silence.

Then there was Darcy.

Steve had watched the pair in history as they passed a small journal back and forth which was filled with what he assumed to be a conversation. From what he knew about Loki from his own observations and from Thor was that he preferred to be alone; that being said, his friendship with Darcy was truly fascinating. They were both equally stubborn which somehow made their friendship as wonderful as it was. She had little quirks that Loki easily responded to, things they had to have learned about one another over the years. Darcy was the only person Loki ever paid any attention to and somehow that made Steve feel a little jealous.

Then again, Steve seemed to be the only person other than Darcy that Loki has said a word to all week which made his stomach flutter. It was strange.

Steve had watched Loki walk out of class earlier that day saying his good-bye's to Darcy as he headed towards his locker, reading a book in his hand. His eyes sparked green when he read, just like when he talked to Darcy. It made Steve a little anxious. One boy ran up and knocked the book from Loki's hand, running away, and the other shoved Loki to the floor as he bent down to pick up the book, running and laughing. Loki simply got to his knees, picked up his book and pushed himself up, acting as though he'd fallen on his own. Some of the other students in the hall were laughing amongst themselves.

Steve began to wonder if this was how it always was—if Loki left because the bullying got out of hand. He seemed to ignore everything around him, the exception being Darcy and occasionally Thor. But Steve could understand Loki leaving if his whole freshmen year was how it had been the past few days. However, Steve couldn't recall seeing him being shoved into walls and pushed onto floors and he was sure that someone would have noticed and done something about it.

But when he'd asked how Loki put up with it, Loki stared at him for a moment, turning away. He shrugged and put in his combination. "I don't care what they think."

"You alright, Steven?" Thor called to him, throwing the ball. Steve catches it and gives Thor a smile.

"Just thinking."

Thor nods, looking up at the bleachers. Steve follows his gaze, noticing Loki and Darcy sitting close to the top.

"I guess they're waiting on me."

"I'm sure they're just enjoying the weather while it lasts. Practice doesn't end for another hour."

Steve tosses the ball back to Thor, pulling his eyes away from the pair.

* * *

Darcy kicks her feet back and forth on the bleachers, humming and watching the football players on the field. "I still think Steve Rogers is fine." Loki grunts, focusing on his book. "Nobody has a well-toned ass like that unless they were meant to be ogled."

"Nobody's stopping you."

"You just don't care."

Loki smirks, turning the page. "No, not really."

Darcy kicks at him and misses.

The two sit in silence, Darcy's music blasting out of her ear buds, her hat and hair doing little to muffle the sound. Loki takes a swig of their water and sighs, turning the page. The football team shouts as their huddle breaks, taking their positions on the field. Darcy bites her lip and watches them with gusto, taking a sip of water and dribbling it down herself when Steve Rogers stretches out his whole torso after a throw, Loki swatting her shoulder.

"Could you not?"

"What? He's hot!" Darcy takes off her hat and turns off her music, setting them aside. She stretches and leans against Loki but decides to lie down on his lap instead. Loki ignores her, continuing to read. Normally he'd object but Darcy's affections were always welcomed whether he wanted them or not. She reaches up to play with his hair, humming to herself as he reads. "So are we staying at my house this weekend, or yours?"

"Yours."

"We always stay at mine…" Darcy whines. "Why can't we stay in your big ass house for once?" She pauses dramatically, whimpering and making a face. "Are you ashamed of me?"

"Yes."

"Tch. Rude…" she curls his hair around her finger, letting it bounce back into place. "No matter, we're staying at your place. I haven't had an eating contest with Thor in a while and it's about time I won at least one." She continues her humming. "Will there be football boys there?"

"No. Just Steve. And probably his other three dumb friends."

Darcy grins. "So Fandral will be there?"

"What about Steve?"

"Fuck you."

"You do realize Fandral could be sexually aroused by a fish, right?"

Loki sets his book down, running a hand over Darcy's hair. She smiles up at him and rubs the back of his neck with her thumb. "So my dreams of becoming a mermaid-?" Loki pinches her face and she laughs, pushing at his hand. "Quit it!"

He strokes her hair and sighs, leaning back against the fence and closing his eyes. A chilly breeze blows over them, Loki forcing his body from shivering, focusing on Darcy's hair and his hand.

"I'm sorry you got detention because of me."

Darcy looks up from her phone. "It wasn't because of you, hun—it was my own damn fault for not making sure no teachers were around."

She keeps humming to herself, her game making victory noises when she advances in the level. Occasionally she swears to herself, her nose wrinkling in frustration, the tip of her tongue sticking out slightly. Darcy's hair is so dark that in the shadow of the sunset, Loki's black nails almost blend in.

"The diet's working, just so you know…you look good."

"I'm not you, so you know…" she shrugs.

Loki smiles and looks down at her. "You'll never be me, dumbass, I barely eat anything." Darcy sighs, nuzzling her face against his hand. Loki stares out at the field, the players lining up for their drills, his brother's laughter echoing over the bleachers.

Everyone loved Thor. He was so charming and friendly and open with everyone while Loki preferred secluding himself; while Thor was the sun, Loki was the moon, pale and cold and surrounded by an icy blackness that one feared would suck them in to be forever lost. Loki never really meant any harm and yet people seemed more terrified of him than they were of his startlingly huge brother.

The insults he'd received over the years began to ring in his head like an annoying tune. He could feel the bruises from this week start to ache, making him feel nauseous. He continues stroking Darcy's hair, his brows knitting together. "Do you think I'm a freak?"

"Hmm?"

Darcy blinks, looking up to study his face. It was one she didn't normally see on Loki, and while Loki was always serious…this was different. Darcy sighs, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.

"Yes."

Loki makes a face, not enjoying her jest. "Darcy-"

"I wasn't finished!" she thinks for a moment, taking a deep breath and playing with his fingers. "Think of it this way—we evolved from primates and then Neanderthals, eventually becoming the developed homosapiens that we are now. We all developed our own religions, even religions that bash other religions, and spread across the world conquering other peoples that we felt were a danger to us because they spoke different languages or had different skin tones. We developed civilized society and eventually kept building that society until we reached the 21st century where we all began un-evolving due to the lack of general knowledge in our technology-savvy generation. You still read things on paper and actually have advanced knowledge about things so yeah, you're a freak. But there's nothing wrong with that, okay? You're just as weird and freaky as any other intellectual thinker or brooding scientist that was ahead of his own times."

She turns her attention back to the field and watches as Thor takes a teammate down in two moves. "You know, your brother's a freak too. He's 6'4" and has a shoulder girth the length of a small child. He's probably been able to pick up Frigga since he was five and he has the shortest most violent temper I've ever witnessed. And I'm sure you don't want me to talk about Steve Rogers finely toned body again because damn."

Loki smiles, letting Darcy's good intentions sink into him as he continues to stroke her hair.

"Thanks."

Darcy grins, poking Loki in the stomach. "Holy shit, Loki Laufeyson thanked me for something."

Loki flicks her nose and then pecks Darcy's forehead with a kiss, continuing to play with her hair while watching Steve. Steve Rogers—he'd been friends with Thor since middle school. From what Loki could remember, he used to be puny and wheezed a lot—though from the amount of growth he went through Loki was sure steroids had a hand in there. Then again Steve was too much of a goody-goody and yet Loki still couldn't understand Steve's never ending need to talk to him, offer him help. Loki feared Steve only meant to humiliate him further…but something in his eyes reminded him of Thor. Granted there was no child-like interest or Thor's oafish stupidity but rather concern, caring, a sort of kindness that Loki wasn't used to seeing in anyone's eyes other than his mother's—but that was so long ago.

"We don't have to stay at your place if you don't want to."

Darcy sits up and leans against Loki, curling into his side. He drapes an arm around her waist. "No, I wouldn't want to ruin your date with Fandral."

"Shut up."

He smiles, burying his face into Darcy's hair. "At least you still have your smile…" she strokes his hair gently. Darcy pauses, her voice lowering into a sad tone. "I'll be damned when they take that away from you."

Loki sighs, breathing in her scent. "I know…"

* * *

It was a rough practice, and things only got harder after the sun set because then it got cold. Coach was working them extra hard, obviously irritated with some of the players' behavior. Steve knew it was because of Harry Osborn and his friends' little egg toss at Darcy Lewis' car on Monday.

Thor walks out of the locker room with Steve, his equipment bag slung over his shoulder. "Ready for the game Friday?"

Steve scrolls through his phone, listening to a few voicemails. "Yeah, Jefferson's an easy game." He grins, shoving Thor playfully. Thor shoves him back, both of them pushing back and forth and laughing, until Thor stops abruptly, nearly running into Loki.

"Are you ready yet?"

Steve's face flushes red, turning away with his phone, deleting his messages.

"Yes, yes, I'll be right there," Thor grins, mussing up Loki's hair. Loki scowls at him, raising his arms defensively and fixing it the way he had it. "Where's Darcy?"

"She's already in the car, she's freezing."

"How did she get in? Oh, right, I gave you the keys, never mind." Thor looks back at Steve, who was checking his phone, brow furrowed. "Steven!" He looks up. "Do you need a ride? I have plenty of room."

Steve smiles and looks back down to scroll through his phone again, sighing. "Yeah, umm—that sounds great, Thor." He walks up to the brothers tentatively, chewing the inside of his cheek and one hand shoved into his pocket.

Thor grins, clapping him on the back. "The more the merrier!" Loki sighs and turns on his heel, walking towards the parking lot. Some of the other players are already in the lot, a few of them grinning and jeering at him but none daring to make a move with Thor so close by.

"Sorry about this, Thor. I know I've been asking for rides after practice a lot."

"Do not fret, my friend, I am happy to assist." Thor watches Loki as he bee-lines towards the SUV, climbing into the front seat and slamming the door. He sighs. "Grumpy as usual. Darcy's home is closer so I will be dropping the pair of them off first."

Steve furrows his brow, tossing his bags in Thor's trunk when it's opened. He lowers his voice. "Loki…stays with Darcy often?"

"He has been."

Thor shuts the trunk walking around to the front and climbing in, starting the car. Steve climbs into the backseat, Darcy giving him a huge smile and scooting over. "Hey, a seat buddy. Now I won't be lonesome."

Steve smiles shyly. "Wouldn't want that, Ms. Darcy." Darcy bursts into giggles, her face turning bright red. Loki gives her a sour look in the rearview mirror, Steve smiling and blushing as well. She covers her face with her hands, calming herself down as Thor starts the engine.

The ride is quiet for a while, the three staring out their windows as Thor drives. He attempts to turn on the radio, Loki shutting it back off and mumbling something that Steve couldn't make out. Thor just sighs and turns into a neighborhood. All of the town houses were tiny and they looked as though only one person could live in them. Everyone remained silent, Darcy tensing at the fact that Steve Rogers was going to know where she lived. Thor pulls up in front of a small brown yard, Darcy's car parked in one of the driveways.

"Will you need me to pick you up tomorrow, Darcy?" Thor turns and smiles at her, Darcy shaking her head.

"My cousin's not supposed to work tomorrow but I'll let you know. Thanks again." She grins, looking at Steve who blinks and realizes he needs to get out. He climbs out of the car, helping her out and giving her a smile.

"Call me if you need a ride, yes, brother?"

Loki sighs, opening his door. "It's not too far of a walk." He steps out of the car, noticing Steve's hand on his, helping him out. Loki pulls away, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Darcy runs a hand through her hair, grinning like an idiot.

"See you tomorrow, Steve."

He nods, climbing back into the car. "See you, Darcy." He pauses, watching Loki scuff his feet on the ground irritatingly, staring at the walk and waiting for Darcy to move. "Bye…Loki."

Loki glances up as Steve shuts his door, the car pulling away from the yard, his eyes following as the headlights disappear around the corner.


	4. Chapter 4

**HEY HEY HEY! I am soooooo sorry about this chapter being so late. I hit a bit of a rut while working on it and I just finished up my first year of college, had all this other BS going on but it's here now and Chapter 5 should be finished by tonight but no promises. I usually never make my followers have to wait over a month for an update so here's to trying harder next time!**

**Thanks so much for all the new followers and reviews though, they mean a lot to me and make me want to keep writing. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Mostly language**

**More comments/critiques please! I love them ever so much~**

* * *

Friday nights. It was the one night of the week when teachers, parents, and students became equals; they all screamed and jeered and a good handful drank a bit more than they should because despite being a school sport—Friday night football was not a clean event.

Drugs, drinking, swearing, fighting, sex…for a while sex under the bleachers was more of an issue than one would think but Principle Fury had taken care of that for the most part. The real issue was drinking. Students were known to sneak beer in under the chair fence behind the bleachers where a small groove had been dug out in the dirt that had grown overtime. The fence itself was so rusted that one student could hold up the bottom while others snuck in and rolled beer kegs in with them. Parents and teachers knew but, since they got free beer, not much was done. As long as no one saw the kegs go in, no one was blamed; as long as students didn't drink openly in the bleachers, no one was blamed; as long as the students walked around and down under the bleachers to get their beer, no one was blamed. However, an exception had been made for the marching band by the students running their illegal beer kegs. Since the band members weren't allowed to leave the stands, they had to get their beer another way. They were provided with plastic red cups for water and if someone in the band wanted beer, they would set the cup by their feet with the fee—a dollar—underneath and the students under the bleachers would fill the cups. It was an ongoing system, and none of the band members ever got drunk enough that it was noticeable because everyone was already screaming at the game.

Darcy had successfully snuck Loki in to sit with her which wasn't much of a success. The chaperones for the band were already so overwhelmed with the students they needed to be there, an extra would go by unnoticed. The twosome exiled themselves to the edge of the band section and Darcy set their cups down with the dollar underneath, snapping her fingers to get one of the student's attention so that they were noticed.

"Sooooo…happy you came?" Darcy grins at Loki, nudging his side. He'd been wearing a scowl on his face since the walk over. It hadn't gone away.

"Not entirely." Loki replies, pulling his hat further over his ears. "It's cold and damp and raining and the beer's cheap and everyone's so fucking loud and, I swear, I can _smell_ the testosterone on the players—like I don't have to smell that enough at home."

"Well what do you expect? It's not like those kegs are store bought, they're recycled and filled with local beer." Darcy takes a long swig, coughing. "But seriously, quit being a fucking pansy, it's not like you haven't been to a football game before. You're made of testosterone too."

"I've learned to control such—breakouts."

Darcy rolls her eyes, sipping her cheap beer. She couldn't exactly pity the people who had to deal with Loki on a daily basis because she was the only one he allowed to do so, and pitying oneself really is a pathetic thing to do. Loki sits rigidly next to her, bundled in a scarf, hat, and coat, his arms wrapped around himself. He looked like a grumpy old lady. Darcy smiles and scoots closer to him, pressing their sides together. "Cold, princess?"

Loki shoots her a look for the nickname and leans against her more.

"No. I'm shaking with irritation at the fact that you have to ask me if I'm cold."

"Oh." Darcy smirks, pulling some money from her pocket. "Then I guess I won't let you go buy a hot chocolate while we perform-" Loki snatches the money from her hand and shuffles over to the stairs, still hugging his arms. "Get me a Snickers bar!" she calls after him.

"You don't need one!"

Loki makes his way down the stairs, avoiding all of the drunken students laughing and jeering at one another, most of them stumbling around and sloshing their beers. That was one thing Loki didn't want splashed onto his coat. He grumbles to himself, his whole body shivering from being wet and cold. It was the only downside to being built the way he was—no circulation.

The line for the snack bar was unbearably long but Loki wanted watery hot chocolate and stale popcorn whether he had to wait all through the halftime show or not. It shifts forward every few minutes, the one girl running the counter obviously overwhelmed and an idiot for not yelling for her coworkers, who were taking a drag near the fence. Loki sighs. He really hated people. The marching band is introduced and the instruments start to convey a melody, Loki turning slightly to watch them while still shivering and shuffling in line. Most were out of tune, a few were off step, and Darcy was one twirl behind the rest of the flag girls— amusing, really, for Darcy to be in flag core. Loki always assumed it was because her cousin wanted her to try more…_effeminate_ things, only for Loki to find out that she actually kind of liked it; Loki wouldn't mind doing more effeminate things himself if society would let him.

The line continues to move at an antagonizingly slow pace. There's a slight vibration in his pocket and Loki furrows his brow, digging through his coat to find the source. He pulls out his phone to discover messages in his inbox—most from earlier that day.

**FRIGGA**: Are you sleeping at Darcy's again? 10:25 am  
**FRIGGA**: We all wish you'd be at home more often. 10:34 am  
**FRIGGA**: Your father and I landed safely in Cincinnati. You should spend time with Thor this weekend. Love you. 2:53 pm  
**THOR**: LOKI 5:43 pm  
**THOR**: COME TO GAME LOLZ 5:45 pm  
**STARK**: Hey beautiful. Nice ass ;) 7:52 pm

Loki blinks, staring at the last message when a hand grabs him from behind, giving his ass a firm squeeze. He shoves his harasser with his elbow and side and turns to be sure they'd leave him alone but lowers his fist instead with a sigh. Tony Stark wraps his arms around Loki's thin waist with a grin, being sure to invade every inch of personal space that Loki would allow without jutting his knee forward.

"What do you want, Stark?"

"Well, hello to you too."

Tony Stark. He was a teenage prodigy and the only heir to Stark Industries; he was arrogant, brash, sarcastic, and condescending…and unfortunately Loki had become the target of his affections long ago. While he hated to admit it, he and Stark did have certain attributions in common. Both had rather scientific minds and were of equal intelligence, Stark just chose to excel while Loki couldn't stand the idea of being told "how to learn." He had a problem with authority. They were both witty and sarcastic and could talk their ways in or out of anything; and both were equally stubborn. However, at the top of the list of similarities between them were their personal issues with their fathers though neither liked to discuss them. They'd tried to date once or twice but it usually ended with Stark screwing around with someone else; he couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself as he slipped them into Loki's coat and ran them down his sides.

"Do you mind?" Loki sighs and attempts to turn away. He had no patience tonight. Tony simply grins, turning him so that he's pressed up against his back, hands still buried beneath his coat.

"Not really. Though you aren't very warm, I'm not sure why I'm even trying."

"Because you're an ass?"

The line shuffles forward, Loki attempting to pull away but only managing to pull Tony with him. There really wasn't any reason why Tony was there—he didn't even go to high school. He was supposed to be graduating from the university next year while everyone else his age was graduating to advance into college. Tony was friends with Clint Barton and Pepper Potts, but not so much with anyone else that Loki could remember. He and Thor were sort of friends but after he cheated on Loki this last time Thor pummeled him into the ground and they had a falling out. Loki knew their relationship was a failure from the start and didn't really care but it was fun watching them run around the yard.

"You're the one with the ass…" Tony grins, his hand wandering down to give his butt another squeeze.

"Do I have to get Thor?"

"Thor's busy, princess, I'm not sure he has the time to beat my face in again."

Loki cringes at the nickname. "It's halftime, I'm sure I can get Thor to do whatever I want."

Tony thinks for a moment before pulling his hands away and shoving them into his own pockets. When it came to Thor even Tony Stark knew when to quit. "Sooooo…enjoying school? Clint told me you were roaming the halls again."

"Not at all. It's filled with the same idiots that it was the last time I was there." Loki straightens out the five dollars Darcy gave him. He was only three people away from ditching Stark. "What about you? Surely the ingenious Tony Stark has something better to do than grace mediocre high school football games with his presence?"

"Eh," Tony shrugs, the stupid grin still attached to his face. "I came to watch Steve play."

"Steve Rogers?"

"The one and only. He's not so sweet on me after he found out I was fooling around with you but it's still entertaining to watch him."

"You cheated on Steve Rogers with me? I'd hate you too. Then again…I already hate you, but it would also explain why I don't like Rogers." Loki finally reaches the counter and gives them his order, laying down the five.

Tony gives him a look, raising his eyebrows. "Oh? And why's that?"

"I dislike anyone associated with you, Stark, you should know that by now." Loki takes his order from the girl and gives her a small smile, telling her to keep the change. Tony snorts, following him as he walks back towards the fence to wait for Darcy to come off the field.

"Hey, you screwed around with me too, you know."

Loki stops, Tony and several others nearly running into him. He turns to glare at him, his lips curling into a sneer. Tony steps back, knowing full well that the hot beverage in Loki's hand could end up scorching his face. "Don't flatter yourself. I hated me long before I got involved with you."

The band starts to march off the field, Loki shooting Tony another look before turning back towards his destination. Darcy meets up with him, taking the hot chocolate from him and stealing a sip. She glances towards Tony, who was flirting with some of the girls and back at Loki.

"That Tony?"

"Yeah."

"What'd he want?"

"Nothing."

She takes another sip, handing it back to him as he hands her the popcorn.

"How'd we do?"

"Awful. Beethoven was deaf and he could still write better music than you played, you're a disgrace."

Darcy grins, nudging him. "But you hate Beethoven, you prefer Mozart."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Loki loops his arm in hers and walks with her back towards the bleachers, Darcy laughing and rambling on. He glances back at Tony who had five girls on his hip, treating them all to whatever they wanted at the snack bar.

* * *

"What do you want on your pizza?" Thor was leaning in the doorway of Loki's bedroom, holding the phone. They'd won the game, as usual, and Thor and Steve had made their way to Thor's place, not expecting to have company. Loki and Darcy were sitting on the bed, his feet in her lap while she painted his toes. He looks up briefly from his book and sighs.

"Cheese."

"Eww, not just _cheese_," Darcy whines. "I want everything!"

"I don't want any meat—I'm a vegetarian."

Darcy snorts, changing shades of polish. "Since when?"

Loki rolls his eyes and looks to Thor. "Make it half and half. How many are you getting?"

"Three; one for me, one for Steve, and one for you and Darcy-" He stops talking when Loki rolls his eyes once more. Thor ate like he'd never tasted food before. He'd vacuum down his pizza and then come wandering in to see if Loki and Darcy had any left.

"You're dismissed."

Loki props his book back up to continue reading, Darcy giving Thor a sympathetic smile. She smacks Loki's calf after Thor leaves. Loki gave her a look that dared her to hit him again, returning to his novel. Darcy rolls her eyes. Thor was a great guy and the only one who didn't seem to think so was his problematic little brother. "I'm hungry…" she grumbles. "Can we both get our own pizzas too? Thor will just eat what's left of yours-"

"Whatever."

Darcy stares at him for a moment before finishing his toes and packing up her nail polish. "Hey, Thor!" His head pops up in the doorway faster than she expected, his hair swinging wildly, phone to his ear. "Make ours one supreme pizza and one cheese." He nods, repeating the order as he walks back down the hall. "And breadsticks!" she yells after him, turning back towards Loki. "Are you going to read the whole night or are we actually going to have a _fun_ sleepover for once?"

Loki grunts, turning the page to his book.

Was there something wrong with him? He could've been one of those girls, hanging on his arm…but in the end everyone always found someone better. For Thor it was his friends, for his parents it was Baldur…Tony had his other partners…even Darcy. She had other friends and Steve…Steve Rogers. If anything ever happened between them he could expect to see less and less of her, slowly pushing him away and replacing him like everyone else…maybe that's what she wanted. She was tired of dealing with him and the drugs and everything… This happened all the time though. People couldn't handle all of him; he started showing less and less; the less they saw…the more they hated. Like a snake drawing itself back into a hole…the less snake, the more they hated getting anywhere near where the snake was. The more snake, the more they wished it would slither away; the more rocks and dirt were thrown at its head, wishing to crush it.

Darcy slaps Loki's knee, startling him out of thought. He hadn't realized that his book was closed, sitting on his lap, Darcy giving him a concerned look. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem…off. Did Tony say something to you?"

He felt those words echo in his head—_did Tony say something to you_—and for some reason they made him angry. Loki pulls his knee away from her as if she were a leper, giving her a scowl. "I said I was fine! How many more times do you expect me to say that?" It was harsh, yes, and Loki regretted the look on Darcy's face but he couldn't control his emotions as well as he liked—one of the many reasons he horded them to himself.

"Geez, fine…whatever, okay? Forgive me for being one of the few people concerned with your well-being."

"Oh, yes, because you're so concerned about me. I can take care of myself, Darcy! I don't need you and Thor always looking out for me, I'm more of an adult than either of you."

"Hey, you're the one that treats him like shit; Thor's just trying to help-"

"By embarrassing me in front of the whole student body?"

"He didn't _mean_ to embarrass you, you were already embarrassed enough—why are you yelling at me anyways, I just asked if you were okay! Why are you always like this whenever Tony Stark is around?" Darcy crosses her arms. "If you're so over him you wouldn't act like such a jealous little bitch-"

Loki stands, stomping towards the bathroom. "If you're so concerned with my well-being you wouldn't talk to me about things I don't want to talk about!" He slams the door, Darcy groaning audibly and rolling her eyes. She collects her bags and pillow from the bed and screams at the door.

"I DON'T KNOW WHY I EVEN TRY WITH YOU ANYMORE; ALL YOU DO IS ACT LIKE A LITTLE BUTT-FAGGOT!"

Darcy storms downstairs, leaving Loki locked in the bathroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright you guys~ I'm actually really happy with this chapter because I'm starting to get Steve more and more involved, trying to develop some characters...(I suck at character development, so keep an eye on it for me and PLEASE let me know how I'm doing)**

**Disclaimer: do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: this chapter is pretty tame, enjoy**

**Comments/critiques welcomed as always :D**

* * *

"He knows I don't mean it Thor."

Darcy bites into her slice of pizza, the cheese starting to drip between her mouth and slice. Steve had moved all of his belongings—including himself—onto the floor, offering Darcy his seat. She objected at first but was blushing too hard to argue. Thor, much to Darcy's annoyance, was sitting on the floor as well, glancing back and forth at the stairs as if Loki could appear at any moment and he would miss his chance to play the big brother.

"Thor, seriously, knock it off. We fight all the time, no big deal."

He turns to give Darcy the biggest puppy eyes she's ever seen, looking back up at the stairs. "But…what if he does something—_drastic_."

"Dude, I don't think he's going to throw himself out the window," Steve smiles, taking a small bite of pizza. "I'm not sure it would even hurt. Most damage would be a broken arm or leg or something."

"Steve's right, Thor. And I don't think he's going to come crying down the stairs for you to beat up all the mean big kids at school." Darcy and Steve both snicker to themselves, Thor flushing slightly and letting out a small laugh. "Dude, if you're so worried take his pizza up to him, maybe he'll come out."

Thor gives them a small nod, a look of newfound determination on his face. "I will do so." He eagerly makes his way upstairs, Darcy snorting and shaking her head.

"If he comes out of the bathroom, I swear, a rainbow is going to shoot out of my ass."

Steve laughs slightly, leaning back against the couch and focusing on the movie Thor had chosen. It was some sort of Norwegian tragedy with English subtitles and it was one of the strangest movies Steve had ever had to watch at one of Thor's sleepovers. He pulls out his phone, scrolling through the messages while Darcy moves on to her second piece of pizza. She watches the movie in somewhat of a morbid silence before nudging the back of Steve's head with her foot.

"Are you enjoying this?"

He blinks, turning to smile at her. "Huh?"

"The movie? Are you watching it or can I turn it off? I've already seen it, the wife drowns herself in the lover's bathtub or something...the husband doesn't even have a funeral, he just puts her ashes in a can…then the daughter jumps in front of a car or something, it's all really depressing-"

"No, I'm…I'm not really watching it."

Darcy snorts, grabbing the remote and switching to cable. "Why didn't you say anything? Thor doesn't care just tell him what you want to watch."

"Well…it's his house…"

"And you're_ his_ guest," Darcy grins, nudging Steve with her foot again. "C'mon, Steven, grow a pair. Thor's a pushover; he could watch infomercials for an hour and get a kick out of it." She flips through the channels, snacking on her pizza noisily. "You can get on the couch too, you know, you didn't have to move to the floor."

Steve smiles shyly and climbs onto the couch, sitting rather rigidly compared to Darcy. His knees and shoulders were straight and aligned as if he were made of wax; Darcy had slouched into the couch cushions, one knee sitting up and her other leg thrown aimlessly where she pleased. She glances at him and laughs to herself, sipping her soda. Steve shifts slightly, obviously uncomfortable. Darcy flicks on one of the movie channels, sitting up slightly to crisscross her legs and turn to face Steve. "Are you an army brat?"

He turns his head to face her and smiles. "Hmm?"

"An army brat; the way you act and sit…you remind me of kids who had parents in the military. Who was it? Your dad? Mom?"

"Oh," Steve laughs lightly and shakes his head. "No…my grandfather served during the Vietnam War but neither of my parents served. Besides it's just me and my mom."

Darcy nods, finishing off her second slice and licking her fingers. "Mom over-protective? Other family members influence how you're raised?"

"How can you—yeah, my grandparents did." He pauses, making a face. "Am I that obvious?"

"No, no, it's not like that… You're so polite and such a pushover, I just wondered why. Obviously for me I don't really have _controlling_ parental figures. I live with my cousin and he's…well, he can't even make his stupid Yorkie dog sit much less make me act like a lady." Darcy starts on her third slice, a breadstick in her other hand. "Then you look at guys like Thor and you can see that sort of authoritative parent but someone who taught him to be a good person at the same time, you know? Parents that give their kids the freedom to make mistakes on their own-"

"And…Loki?"

Darcy pauses, chewing slowly and her brow furrowing. Steve realizes that his curiosity got the best of him and he shakes his head, regretting his tongue acting faster than his brain.

"Sorry…I shouldn't have asked, it's not my business…"

"No, it's cool…Loki just—he's had it rough, that's all. Parents can only do so much, you know?"

Steve nods. He knew more than most…especially when parents try to do more than they should. He takes another bite of pizza, leaning back against the couch. Loki seemed to be stuck on his brain; he was all he could think about and he had no idea why…like an itch you just can't reach or a bug you just can't find even though you just saw it crawling around on the wall. Steve had become hooked with the thought of Loki; learning every little thing about him and letting himself drown in the curious mysteries of someone else's life. He wasn't really sure what to call it…obsession sounded so vulgar and crude, like he was stalking every minute of his day. Steve preferred to call it a platonic crush since he certainly had no romantic intentions towards Thor's younger brother…but the rash of curiosity stuck to Steve's brain only began to burn more once Loki and Darcy started screaming at one another upstairs. It spurred many questions but to avoid being rude—and since it really was none of his business—Steve preferred to stick to basics. "How long have you and Loki been friends?"

She smiles, her lips quickly hidden by the soda in her hand. It was as if he had been found out already and that was making him regret climbing onto the couch.

"Since middle school…why do you ask?"

"Ah-" Steve blushes lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm…not really sure. I've known Thor for years but I guess I never really _noticed_ Loki before, as awful as that sounds…"

Darcy laughs, covering her mouth so her pizza doesn't fall out. "It's not awful, Steve, honest, I can totally understand…Loki prefers not to stick out and I'm not so sure I would have ever been friends with him if we hadn't met the way we did. Some boys were making fun of me about my boobs being so big and Loki asked why they were teasing me when they were just going to have the same problem in thirty years. When one of them punched him in the nose I kicked the other in the groin and we've been friends ever since."

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a great _'how I met my best friend'_ story," Steve grins, trying not to laugh.

"Shut up," Darcy shoves him playfully with her foot. "We sort of just hit it off, I guess. And by 'we' I mean 'me' because I wouldn't leave him alone after that and I'm pretty sure he could care less…but I think after a while people like Loki have felt so alone for so long that they take what they can get." She pauses and lets out a sigh. "But sometimes that's not always a good thing…"

"Is that why you're fighting?"

"Yeah…I guess so…I'm sure that's not the only reason he blew up at me, he's had it rough all week so I really can't blame him for getting upset over nothing. He'll be fine though, he's just throwing a little tantrum; he'll take some time and come out of his hole when he wants."

"Do you two fight a lot?"

Steve bites his tongue. That was really crossing a line…he wouldn't even ask Thor that question, he could just see the puppy eyes. Darcy just laughs and shrugs, tossing her hair back as she continues to eat her pizza. "Sure. I mean…Loki's practically been through hell and back but still acts like the fucking Queen of Sheba which can drive anyone insane, really…" she pauses, setting her pizza aside and leaning towards Steve, her eyebrows knit together. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure…"

"Did Tony ever…talk to you about Loki?"

"Tony…"

"Stark. You went out with him, right?"

Regrettably, yes.

"Yeah, we went out a few times…you're asking if…he talked to me about Loki? Talked to me how?"

Darcy shakes her head and lets out a dry laugh. Loki would kill her for even mentioning his and Tony's name in a conversation…but Loki already wanted to kill her. Steve watches her mull things over in her head, finding the right way to word things without giving much away; not many people knew about him and Tony…not that he was ashamed, they didn't go out for long and didn't end on good terms. Darcy continues to eat her pizza, toes curling and un-curling against the couch. "Tony never…mentioned anyone else when you two were going out?"

"Well…" Steve's stomach turned talking about this. "I knew he was cheating on me if that's what you're asking. Although when it comes to Tony Stark you sort of always feel like that…" He laughs a bit to cut the tension, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why did you ask about Loki?"

She shrugs, leaning back against the arm of the couch.

"Tony and Loki were going out when Stark started hooking up with you, just wondering if it ever affected his conscious as to how badly that dug into Loki's side." Darcy pulls out another slice of pizza. "It was the second time Loki caught Tony fooling around with someone else and…well Loki's not exactly the kind of guy to dish out second chances. And it seems like whenever he does he just digs himself deeper into his own little world where nothing can hurt him…" Darcy sniffs, rubbing a few tears away with her fist. "But the more he pushes away the less I can help him and the less I can help him the more lost he gets and if this year gets any worse I'm not sure if anyone will be able to help him; not me or Thor or his parents, even though his stupid parents haven't been able to do shit for him anyways-" she stops and laughs, blushing a bit "…sorry, I totally went off on an emotionally compromising cosmic journey and took you along for the ride and you barely know me."

Steve grins, pulling his legs up onto the couch and crossing them. "I think we've already crossed that line, Miss Darcy."

"Miss Darcy," she mocks, laughing. "It's like Mr. Darcy…which, by the way, is Loki's favorite book. Well…one of them."

"Mr. Darcy?"

"No! Pride and Prejudice!" Darcy laughs, kicking him playfully. "Mr. Darcy is a character. I want him to watch the movie so he can give it his seal of approval or not but he hates Kiera Knightly…he finds her to be a prude—which she is—but it's a good movie. I should give the book a try."

"Isn't it usually the other way around?" Steve teases. He pushes his hair back out of his face as Darcy finishes off her pizza, wiping her hands on her shirt. His face falls slightly as a thought hits him, his stomach twisting. "Is…that why Loki doesn't like me?" Darcy looks up at him curiously. "Because of Tony…I've been trying to be nice all week he just—looks at me like I have a second head or something…"

"You've seen how he treats Thor, right? Loki doesn't like anyone and I'm sure it has nothing to do with you. He makes excuses for him not to like people so if he pulls any of that bullshit he's lying and is building walls like he does with everyone." Her tone was so cold that it surprised even Steve, making him feel as if he'd crossed a line that he didn't see and she could see the sudden shock on his face, but part of her didn't care. It was the part that was bubbling inside her and Darcy could feel her chest tighten, a sudden ache with the realization that all Steve seemed to want to talk to her about was Loki.

"Did I do something-"

Thor mopes back down the stairs with a heavy sigh, grabbing a slice of pizza and taking a bite, slumping into the armchair. Darcy snorts, Steve giving him a sympathetic smile. "What are we watching?"

"Paranormal Activity or some shit, I don't know." Darcy sips her soda. "Any luck?"

"He does not wish for me to pry into his personal affairs. I attempted to coax him with promises of pizza to come out but he would prefer to be left alone."

All three sort of acknowledge this to be the way things are and turn their attention back to the movie. Darcy drowns herself with her jealousy, grabbing for another slice of pizza just to drown out the feelings themselves. Did Steve like her? She liked him. But once again it seemed as though she was being nominated for the friend-zone and wanted to get it through to him that she wanted to give them a try. Steve was just too oblivious towards people liking him…especially girls. He was starting to think that his curiosity in Loki was on the brink of obsession though and maybe that's what Darcy saw. Someone else attempting to push past Loki's barriers without proper admission and it made Steve feel as if he was just as bad as the guys at school. He should be supporting poor Thor who only wanted to make sure his baby brother was okay, well protected, and kept getting shot down no matter what he did. Seeing his best friend—especially someone as large as he was—look like a kicked puppy because his brother wanted nothing to do with him should've made Steve want to drop his inquisitions about all of this altogether…but he couldn't. He already had so many answers already that Steve felt he was close to understanding why things were like this.

Steve opens his eyes. They'd all fallen asleep somewhere towards the end of the movie, none of them really paying enough attention to care. He shifts slightly on the couch, realizing there's a blanket on him that wasn't there before. Had Thor's parents come home? She had a bit of an obsessive care-giver nature to her and would be the one to tuck them in on the couch, turn off the television and the lights…clean the living room? All of the pizza boxes were gone. Steve shifts a bit more and stops when he hears the front door open. He silently lays back down the way he was, his eyes not yet adjusted to the darkness of the room but he could definitely hear someone. Car keys click against the counter as they're set down. Silent footsteps move about the kitchen, a light breaking through the darkness as the fridge opens. Steve strains himself, trying to peek over the couch, listening for voices…

Darcy snores a bit, making him jump.

The fridge door closes, plunging the house back into darkness but Steve's eyes had adjusted. Both he and Darcy were curled up on the couch, a large blanket thrown over both of them. Thor was still in the armchair which had been reclined, the blanket on him haphazardly laying over him. Steve could hear the figure moving towards them from the kitchen and he rolled himself silently so as to see who it was without them noticing him awake.

He wasn't really sure who he was expecting…but he certainly wasn't expecting Loki. And definitely not the way Loki looked. The usual baggy attire had been replaced with tight black clothes, hair tossed all about, eyes bloodshot from unspoken events...he'd never had much time around people using drugs but Steve was certain the look on Loki's face was the equivalent to being buzzed. He watched as Loki moved silently to Thor, re-tucking the blanket around him with care. It was almost surreal watching Loki treat Thor like his—well, his brother and it certainly wasn't a side of Loki that Steve ever expected to see. Loki moved around towards the couch and Steve froze, hooding his eyes enough that he wouldn't be noticed. He picks up a small stuffed giraffe from the floor, tucking it under Darcy's arm and brushing the hair from her face, making her sigh.

Steve was confused. All night Loki had been made out to be someone cold and distant, someone who couldn't quite grasp the reality of his world and preferred to push himself away…but this Loki—this was someone entirely different from what Steve had heard or seen. Despite looking buzzed out of his mind, there was a sort of emotion in Loki's eyes that didn't seem bitter or angry…but sad. Sad and hurt and lost and confused and for someone who seemed to deal with more internally than anyone else Steve knew…it seemed normal.

Loki retreated back upstairs to his room as Steve silently watched him move through the darkness, the shadow of a ghost on the wall. Steve had felt so satisfied at the beginning of the evening, only to be left downstairs as confused as ever.


	6. Chapter 6

**Yo! So...I've been going through a lot personally; fighting with parents, emotional troubles, but I'll update the next chapter as soon as I can especially since Loki and Steve are finally TALKING. *flops* I like the idea of taking it slow though so yeah... Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Eh, there are warnings in the summary so you guys get the idea**

**Comments/critiques are welcomed!**

* * *

There are not many people who can confidently say that they are skilled with social interactions and only a select few are actually good at it.

Steve is not one of these people.

Despite his popularity, Steve developed an incredibly shy personality at an early age due to his troubling home life and low immune system which prevented him from developing any lasting friendships until entering middle school. That, his polite mannerisms, his talent in school sports, (and his rock hard physique) made him extremely popular, however he lacked the social skills to start conversations. In fact he just made it awkward. Steve's friends didn't mind, they were used to his silence, and most people talked to him first anyways…except Loki. It had become painfully obvious that Loki wanted nothing to do with him which was hard for Steve to accept. Ever since spending the weekend at Thor's, his conversations with Darcy, and seeing a piece of Loki that was otherwise hidden from the world, Steve's inner curiosity had been stirred and was screaming to be satisfied. Steve couldn't explain it; every waking moment consisted of thoughts of Loki which he knew was wrong, in a way, since it was his best friend's baby brother and Thor wasn't exactly the sharing type when it came to Loki.

But Steve couldn't help it; he had to try. He'd be damned to let his social anxieties get in the way of carrying out a conversation. How hard could it be? He entered the school Monday morning with high hopes, but obviously didn't anticipate Loki's own social anxieties.

* * *

**MONDAY**

Steve didn't waste much time as Loki and Darcy approached Loki's locker, conversing amongst themselves, before blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"So what'd you do this weekend?!"

It was a question that Steve already knew the answer to but that wasn't as awkward as Darcy and Loki, as well as several other students, stopped their conversation to stare at him. After several minutes of drawn out silence, Steve turned bright red before retreating into his first class of the day, the little pride he had severely injured.

**TUESDAY**

Despite embarrassing himself Monday morning, Steve became determined to try again. He knew he'd never be able to talk to Loki if he didn't find something to talk about, something in common interest but Steve's conversations weren't casual enough, they sounded too forced.

A common interest; Steve figured something school related was personal enough. He was packing up after one of Mr. Coulson's more brutal history tests when Steve realized that he and Loki were the only two remaining in the room. Loki was scrolling through his phone, which made Steve a little more nervous about approaching him, but he made the mistake of doing so anyways.

"That test was killer, huh?" It had taken Steve the full thirty seconds of walking up to Loki to think of that and he was rather proud. But his pride was soon shot down by the fact that Loki kept looking through his phone while Steve awkwardly stood in place, unsure what to do. Loki still didn't acknowledge him as he finished packing up, not even looking up once as he slung his bag over his shoulder. He let out an irritated sigh as if he realized Steve was still near him.

"I hardly think that test was difficult for _you_, Rogers; after all you are Coulson's favorite pet."

**WEDNESDAY**

Steve was afraid to even try talking to Loki today. The comment from the day before was rather hurtful but it wasn't as if everyone else gossiped about it behind his back. Of course it still made Steve want to crawl into a hole and die; he was trying to start a conversation, not piss Loki off even more. The worst part was that Loki already seemed to be in a foul mood. He had spent a majority of the day being harassed, Darcy had band practice after school, and he was stuck sitting on the bleachers in the rain waiting for Thor to finish practice.

Basically, Steve had to find his chance.

The three of them walking to Thor's car was awkwardly silent as usual, Loki glaring at his brother until the doors were unlocked, allowing him to climb into the front seat. Steve helped Thor pack up the trunk before climbing in the back; he scrolled through the search app on his phone to find something to talk about while also pretending that his small laugh was at something on his phone rather than the fact that Loki looked a lot like an angry cat the way he was scowling with his hair and baggy clothes soaked through. Thor finally got in to start the car and just as they were pulling into Steve's neighborhood, he was struck with inspiration.

"Mmmm…Loki, do you uhhh…read-" Steve checks his phone for the name. "Steig L-Larsson?"

Yet another heavy silence as if Loki was contemplating whether or not to answer. Steve could feel the knot in his stomach tighten. "Are you asking as an insult to my Swedish heritage or simply because it was the first book that came up on your phone?"

Thor stopped the car short in front of Steve's house to give Loki a look and giving Steve a cold goodbye which only meant that he and Loki would be fighting the rest of the evening.

* * *

By Thursday Steve felt socially exhausted. Actually trying to talk to someone who wanted nothing to do with you was irritating, hurtful, and for Steve it seemed to only be worsening his social skills. Besides it was satisfying his need to learn more about Loki. He'd never felt so distracted in his entire life. Others were going to start taking notice as well; Steve had missed two questions on Coulson's test and had gotten sacked the whole first half of practice the afternoon before; things that normally wouldn't irritate him were starting to and he'd forgotten his first homework assignment of his high school career.

He was starting to feel down and people were sure to take notice of that too.

"What's on your mind?" Natasha gave him a small smile as she snuck up from behind, walking with him towards his locker. Somehow she always knew when something was bothering him. Steve just shrugged, not really feeling very social; besides she always asked questions she already knew the answers to. "Are your attempts to converse Laufeyson proving futile?"

"I suck at talking to people, Nat…"

She snorts, punching his arm playfully. "Yeah, I know. It's because you try too hard, you don't let the conversation start naturally." Natasha pulls out a tube of lipstick, reapplying her color and popping her lips together. "Don't let it get you down, hon, Loki isn't exactly a social butterfly."

They both look up as the warning bell rings.

Steve sighs, putting his books away. His next class was Art and he wasn't sure how well he'd be able to pay attention in his bad mood. "You make everything sound easy, Nat, but until I talk to him without feeling like I'm punching him in the mouth and vice versa I'm not sure what to do…"

"You could start by relaxing," she smiles, giving his hand a squeeze. "Loki's not worth the effort, Steve, trust me." That didn't really make Steve feel any better but Natasha was already moving on with the conversation and he was too passive to argue. "So are you going to Christine's party tomorrow?"

"Well…we don't have a game tomorrow so I might as well." He rubs the back of his neck, walking next to her as Natasha starts to move. "Are you going with Clint?"

Natasha rolls her eyes. "I don't know what it is with him right now, I'm just not feeling it anymore. Besides he keeps unsatisfying me in bed, I'm so sexually frustrated I can't see straight." With her monotone voice it was always hard for Steve to believe she could be satisfied by anything. "It's all this damn drama with Laufeyson being back in school, I don't know why he has to act like such a baby," she sighs, "but going back with Bucky would just cause more issues, especially with you; things always got so awkward when one of us was with him." Natasha stops at the door of her classroom, turning to give Steve another smile. "Don't let all this Loki drama get you down too, you're my last resort. See you later, okay? Text me if you're going to Christine's, I'll have something to look forward to Friday night other than Clint and Bucky bickering in my ears."

* * *

Steve walked into class just after the bell, his art teacher still finishing up lunch as Steve took his seat. He was always good at drawing and figured high school might develop his skills a bit more before deciding what he wanted to do in college; that and his football scholarship would take him to big places. So far Steve enjoyed his class. He preferred charcoal over paint and since it was still considered the beginning of the school year everyone was still being taught 'how to draw' so Steve could use as much charcoal as he wanted.

"Alright everybody, sit down and shut up, it's one in the afternoon and I'm still a little hungover so I'm only going to give your assignment once," Mr. Logan grumbles, pushing himself to his feet. He was the kind of carefree teacher that if you didn't get on his bad side you could get away with just about anything; Logan was also his first name he just preferred to have 'Mr.' in front of it. "You're gonna pair up and practice drawing your partner, okay? Now split up and sit wherever, I don't care…"

The class was uneven so whenever they were split up Steve took the pleasure of drawing various things around the classroom, however Mr. Logan approached him as he started to sketch one of the windows and clears his throat. "Rogers."

He looks up. "Sir?"

"Pair up."

"But…sir-"

Mr. Logan looks around the room and nods. "Even number. Laufeyson! Come pair up with Rogers—since you actually showed up today…" he coughs, nodding to Steve. "Sorry, Steve, I know you're used to being on your own. Tell me if Laufeyson gives you any problems."

Steve could feel his stomach drop as he looked towards the back of the room where there sat Loki, a large pair of glasses perched on his long nose. He makes a face at Steve and looks away, back towards the large sketchbook on his lap which to Steve meant he was the one who had to move. He sets his bag down, sitting across from him; he bites his lip and tries to think if there was anything he should say but he just stares down at his sketchbook instead.

"Not talking to me now?"

Startled, Steve looks up to find Loki staring quizzically at him and not drawing as well. Loki snorts, rolling his eyes and looking back to Steve. "You've been surprisingly social all week, I expected you to sit down with one of your annoying observations."

"I was—yes…sorry—you umm…you art?" Steve turns bright red, hanging his head in shame and letting out an aggravated sigh. He felt like an idiot.

"You don't know how to talk to people, do you?"

He sighs again. "Not when they're attractive…" Loki raises his brows, clearly as surprised as Steve was by what came out of his mouth. Steve raises his hands defensively, since none of this was helping the blush on his face. "No! I didn't mean that—that—you're attractive" Loki quirks his brow. "No, I mean you are but I didn't mean that I _don't_ talk to unattractive people because I do…not that I judge people based on looks when I talk to them I just—I—umm-"

Loki simply stares at Steve, obviously trying to hide his amusement. "Please, just stop talking." Steve couldn't help but feel rather proud as Loki looked back down at his sketchbook, a small smirk hidden on his lips. But that was just it. He and Loki were practically having a conversation. Steve takes a deep breath, looking back up at Loki and studying him; Natasha said he just needed to let the conversation flow naturally…he needed to make an observation, one about him.

"You…you're wearing glasses. You don't usually-?"

"Contacts; my eyes felt dried out today." Loki continues smudging his charcoal and glancing at Steve. "And to answer your incomplete question from before: yes, I _art_. I prefer painting but nothing like getting back to basics."

Steve laughs lightly, smiling a bit. "More fun to skip class?"

"Sneak out to get an 'edible lunch' as Darcy calls it."

It was hard to contain his satisfaction—Steve was actually talking to Loki. He tries to focus on his drawings, thinking of more things to bring up when Loki clears his throat. "Do you want me to take off my sweater?" Steve could feel another blush building as he looks up.

"I'm…sorry?"

"We're learning about figure drawing, yes? My sweater hinders you from seeing my figure."

"Oh, umm…yeah, sure," Steve nods, Loki shifting to set down his supplies and positioning his hands to lift the baggy garment up and over his head. Something inside Steve shifted as he did this but he didn't pay it much mind, watching as Loki set his sweater aside and straightened out the t-shirt that was hidden underneath. "Do you…always wear a-?"

"It's a t-shirt, Rogers, not a bra. But yes, in case I get hot which doesn't happen very often." Loki picks his sketchbook back up and looks Steve over. "Sit up a little straighter."

Steve does as he says, looking Loki over as well. The t-shirt was about the same color as his skin—white—and it looked stuck to his body though a part of Steve wished it wasn't. Loki's ribs jutted out, one almost twisted at an odd angle; there were a few bruises on his arms, most looked like handprints, and there were thin white lines—whiter than his skin—that ran up and down both arms. He was sure it wasn't because his cat was ornery. Steve was pretty sure he and Thor didn't even have a cat. His eyes found themselves roaming, observing how flawless Loki's skin was from his neck up; his long nose, the curve of his eyebrows and small curve in his jaw; the way his thick black hair was tossed to one side, the way his green eyes would spark as he worked…he seemed so relaxed which was confusing on every level of the word.

"Stare harder, please, it makes sitting here with you even less awkward."

"You're…talking to me…"

"Your sense of observation never ceases to fail you, does it?" Loki's mouth curves slightly into a smirk, his eyes never leaving the drawing.

"No, no, I mean…I thought you hated me."

Loki's hand stops moving as he looks up at Steve, but for only a moment. "I don't hate you…" His eyes shift back down to the sketchbook, his hand resting against the paper. "I don't _like_ you either, I just-"

"Keep to yourself?"

He looks up and Steve gives him a small smile, looking back down at his own drawing and putting more work into his eyes. They were very vibrant and dark and blended well with his use of charcoal. Loki shifted uncomfortably and makes a disgruntled noise, looking away from Steve.

"Thor assured me that your unwanted kindness is not a trick...and that I was acting…rude…I still do not wish for attention from you however I have been told to act _nice_ or else Thor will make me wish I had never been born…_which isn't much of a threat_," Loki sighs under his breath. "I am not here to make friends, I'm here because I apparently have to be and I just…I really don't want you-"

"I get it," Steve interrupts with a smile, closing his sketchbook. "But…I figured it was nice to have someone on your side when everyone's against you." He starts packing up his bag as the bell rings and stands, giving Loki another genuine smile—despite the sinking feeling in his gut—and slinging the bag over his shoulder. "I'll see you around."

Steve walks towards the door, smiling at a few of his friends as he exits the room, disappointed at the loss of the art room smell and also that Loki basically told him to back off. It was a defeat that he hadn't prepared himself for and especially not this soon. After all he'd only been trying for a week. Even though Loki said he didn't hate him Steve was definitely feeling the effects of not being liked either, which really wasn't something Steve was used to and he meant that in the most sincere of ways. He continued down the hall towards Clint and Bucky who were laughing like idiots as usual and waving him down. Steve was just about to pick up the pace when a hand touched his arm. It had barely grazed him and how he knew it was there he had no clue but turning to face Loki left him even more clueless. His sweater was back on which somehow made him seem so much smaller than he was, the glasses pushed up his nose. He wasn't quite looking Steve in the face, more off to the side, but his hands were twisting around the strap of his bag, turning his knuckles white.

"I…suppose it wouldn't be too awful having someone else to talk to in this god awful school other than Darcy…and you are more tolerable than even my oafish brother…" Loki scuffs his foot on the floor. "It's not like you need to avoid me or anything…"

"Sure," Steve looks back towards Clint and Bucky who were now talking to Natasha. "I'll…see you later then." Loki nods, turning away and starting to make his own way down the hallway when Steve could feel the word vomit come up before he had a chance to stop it. "Hey, wait-" his stomach jumped as Loki turned to him once more. "Christine—Christine Everhart—is uhh…having a party tomorrow night…it would be cool to, you know, see you…there…"

Loki's mouth quirks into what Steve considered a smile and he cocks his hip slightly to balance himself. "Maybe…if Darcy wants to go which technically means I'll be there…so I guess…I'll see you as well."

Steve nods, smiling awkwardly. "Yeah."

"…yeah."

They both stand together longer than needed, Steve being the first to start moving away. "Have to…get to class…"

"Me too."

"Well…see yah…" Steve could feel a satisfaction build inside him as he walked away and a grin found its way onto his face though he wasn't entirely sure why—but it filled him with a good feeling, one that Steve had never felt before.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys, it's 2am here, I'm super tired, but I really like this chapter. The party however has been split into two chapters because...eh, mostly because I'm exhausted and I liked stopping it where it stops. Enjoy!**

**(Oh and to the people who caught how I snuck in Wolverine in the last chapter kudos! Lol. I love getting your reviews!)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Eh. Drinking, drugs, sexual lingo, and language.**

**Comments/critiques welcomed!**

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Christine Everhart lived in one of those fenced neighborhoods that didn't really need the fence but it was simply to show how much money was made by the people who lived there. Her parents were international journalists for an obscure magazine that no one ever read but everyone had heard of and since the magazine only had so many writers they traveled a lot. The house wasn't Victorian elegant, it had more of the Beverly Hills open floor plan with decorative shrubbery in the front and a vast open ground pool in the back…of course all of this would be trashed by Saturday morning. Christine would unfortunately be spending most of her own party wondering how her flyers for a private Future Women of America meeting was turned into a massive event by the junior and senior class, making the party all the more fun. Football players brought the alcohol, girls' soccer brought what was left from the bake sale, and everyone else brought whatever came to mind. The girls usually brought condoms just in case one of them was inevitably hooking up and guys usually brought the one expired condom they'd been carrying since the first day of sex education in junior high.

A high school party is truly an experience to be had; it's one of the few times in one's life when equality appears in all shapes and forms due to the drunken inebriated state that all participants eventually enter. However, the appearance and disappearance of the high school party will always remain one of society's great mysteries but most assume that people start arriving just after sunset and leave sometime before dawn—high schoolers share many of the same characteristics as vampires.

Loki and Darcy arrived half after nine when the party had already broken loose but as per high school party code, the school dress code was always broken, and both of them were happy to participate. Of course one was happier than the other.

"Why are we here again?" Darcy whined, fixing the cleavage of her tiny red dress. She despised Christine Everhart. _Despised_. "I thought you hated social events?"

"What does it matter? Now shut up and help me find the alcohol."

Two wrestlers run down the foyer as they open the front door, beer sloshing about.

"Found it." Loki shoots Darcy a look and rolls his eyes, hooking his arm with hers and dragging her towards the kitchen. The music was blaring, half the house was already trashed, students were grinding against one another, half of them already buzzed enough to be incoherent; no one paid them much mind as they pushed their way towards the kitchen to grab a couple drinks. Darcy had only agreed to come as long as she could borrow something from Loki's closet and that he didn't get so drunk she had to carry him home. She grabs them each a shot of whiskey as he hooks her arm around his waist and leans against the counter with her, looking around; there were faces he recognized but no one that interested him. Darcy watches his actions, her fingers teasing the hem of his shirt before looking around the room as well. A grin spread across her painted lips as she turns back to Loki.

"You're looking for someone!" He glances at her and quirks a brow, browsing the room once more. "You have a thing! Who? Guy or girl? Tell meeee!" She grabs his shirt and shakes him.

Loki flicks her nose. "Stop that, this shirt is vintage." He pauses, grabbing another shot. "I'm not looking for anyone, I don't have a thing and even if I did I wouldn't tell you who, and really? You have to ask gender? If I did have someone I was looking for—which I don't—it would be a guy, I'm sick of high school girls, all they do is complain." Christine storms by the doorway, screaming at no one to turn down the music. "See what I mean?"

"I'm a high school girl." Darcy smirks, pinching his side.

"Yes, but I've learned that one of the many tortures of my life is dealing with you on a daily basis; us being friends was never my choice."

"True. And at least with guys you can have sex any day of the month _and_ you won't get pregnant."

He tugs her hair playfully, smirking. "Girls can do that too, you know."

"Not if we both have our flow. And you really have to give it a day or two before everything down there isn't still sore from our uterus spitting out the unwanted womb from our bodies." Darcy eyeballs one of the seniors walking by. "Plus the smell is awful."

"Lovely thoughts, Darcy, I can't imagine why I'd prefer a boyfriend."

"Yeah, well…your ass in those pants and you'll have five boyfriends in an hour," she grins, wrapping both arms around his waist and pressing up against him. He raises both eyebrows now. "I like your butt, just how you like my boobs even though you apparently don't like girls anymore."

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I can't appreciate parts of the female anatomy, Darcy. You're into guys and you still think Natasha Romanoff is hot."

Darcy sighs, smiling. "Oh, yeah, I really do…I'd go lesbo for her."

"I'm flattered." Natasha smiles and sips her drink, appearing out of nowhere as usual. Darcy blushes across her nose as she turns and pulls away from Loki, greeting her with a smile and then slapping Loki's arm. He lets out a small laugh and looks down at the floor. "And I imagine when a lesbian couple is on their period they spend that week comforting one another as sensually as they can. After all, having admiration and respect for each other's bodies is important to a relationship as well as communication which you can do a lot of when sex is out of the question."

"I suppose a mutual respect would be the key though." Loki glances at her and their eyes share contact for a brief moment before he looks away.

She keeps her gaze on Loki and raises her cup to her lips. "Yes, I suppose it would…of course most relationships at our age are built on physical attraction, monetary benefits, and," she chuckles, "the consumption of alcohol."

The tension between she and Loki was suffocating Darcy who had to step away for air and a shot of whiskey. She steps back between them and smiles at Natasha. "Here alone? Although with that dress it looks more like you're trying to pick someone up."

"Oh, no, Clint is around. I'm waiting on Steve actually he said he'd show his face. Not sure what changed his mind though since he doesn't enjoy parties that much." She looks Loki over who's pretending to ignore her. "Cute shirt—retail?"

"Vintage." Natasha sips her drink. Loki, feeling suffocated as well, grabs Darcy's wrist and nods towards the doorway. "Let's dance." Darcy cheerfully agrees and lets Loki drag her out of the kitchen, waving at Natasha. Loki lets go of her once they're far enough for him to breathe, sighing. "I think I need a drink."

"That girl over there has shots." Darcy points out the person she's talking about when her name is half-screeched above the heavy music.

"DARCY LEWIS-"

They both turn to see an angry Christine scowling towards them. Darcy pushes Loki into a crowd as she readies herself to face her. "Whaaaat?"

Christine points a menacing finger while grinding her teeth, eyes ablaze. "I KNOW IT WAS YOU WHO RUINED MY MEETING!"

"Oh, please, Christine, I have far better things to do with my time…" she replies, rolling her eyes.

Loki slips away as the two continue to argue, looking for another person with a tray of shot glasses; he grabs one from a passing girl, handing off the glass to another. A few eyes followed him which he expected since he usually didn't wear clothes that exposed his figure. It was amazing how far a pair of leather pants and a silver halter top could go. Not to mention his hair was tossed slightly to the side. He spots Thor and attempts to slip away before Thor spots him but ends up hearing his name anyways. Loki forces a small smile while walking up to his brother, looking over the people with him. A few of Thor's "friends" and a shorter girl that Darcy was close to—he thinks her name is Jane, but can't be sure. Nothing unique about her but pretty all the same; she'd been tutoring Thor in science and was shadowing a few nurses at the hospital but that was all Darcy had told him.

"HAVING FUN, BROTHER?!" Thor grins, beer in hand. He was shouting despite Loki being able to hear him just fine. "WHERE IS DARCY?!"

"Darcy had—an inconvenience to deal with. You seem to be enjoying yourself though." Loki glances at Jane again. He wasn't entirely sure why Thor was acquainting himself with her other than the possibility of an attraction. She had shoulder length brown hair, straight; brown eyes, nothing particularly notable about her facial features; a small frame, flat chest, straight hips and a thin waist; the purple dress she was wearing wasn't particularly flattering and it fell just above her knees which was unusual for Loki to see on a girl his age; overall she had a sweet disposition, quiet voice, and was rather intelligent but compared to Thor's past girlfriends she was quite literally the plain Jane of the group. Nothing special.

"YOU KNOW JANE! SHE'S TUTORING ME!"

Jane blushes faintly and smiles at Loki, holding out a hand. "We haven't officially met; Darcy and Thor both talk fondly of you."

Loki takes her hand. She was polite which meant he could tolerate her presence if Thor were to involve himself further with her. Darcy wanted them to get along either way. "Same of you."

"I really like your shoes!" Jane smiles, pointing at them. Loki looks down at his feet. They were a pair of ankle boots he'd found on clearance that he and Darcy shared. He was rather fond of them as well. Loki responds with a brief smile, feeling out of place standing next to his brother and his friends.

"I'm going to go find Darcy." Loki excuses himself from Thor and Jane, walking back into the crowd.

"TEXT MOTHER IF YOU GO ANYWHERE AFTER THE PARTY!"

Loki waves off his brother and rolls his eyes, continuing to look around. He wasn't really sure what he was looking for, it wasn't as if Steve was going to hang out with him during the party he had his own friends and Loki had…well, Darcy. But Loki was beginning to wonder why Steve would ask for him to be here and then not show up himself. Of course; he didn't really mean it, he was just like all of Thor's other friends, teasing him as usual. Steve was probably in the kitchen now, laughing it up with Natasha and her two boyfriends. Loki was annoyed. Now he just wanted to find Darcy and get out of here.

A finger taps him lightly on the shoulder and Loki turns to see Steve smiling shyly at him. "You made it!" he exclaims cheerfully, Loki not entirely sure how to respond. If this wasn't a trick…what was it?

"As did you," Loki snorts. "Though you are a tad late the party started at least three hours ago."

Steve shrugs, his smile pulling his face into a grin as he stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Couldn't get away from my mom; her shift usually doesn't start until midnight on Fridays but someone called sick."

"Is she a nurse?"

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." Loki looks Steve up and down. Jeans, plaid shirt, and a brown leather jacket; he didn't seem too fond of dressing up for the occasion. They stand awkwardly together, Steve rocking on his feet and Loki not entirely sure what was going on. He still didn't trust Steve in the slightest.

"D-Do…do you dance?"

The stutter was sure to drive Loki insane. "Not if I can help it."

He looks up when Steve begins to snicker, wondering how his dry sarcasm was amusing to anyone other than Darcy or Thor—though Thor didn't fully understand what sarcasm was. Steve covers his mouth, still smiling and shaking his head. "Whatever you say, Mr. Darcy." Loki blinks. "Sorry…Darcy said you liked that book, _Pride and Prejudice_, so I figured I'd give it a try…that's what he says right? To Elizabeth?"

Loki smiles. "Yes…" he takes a moment to contain his laughter, a few snickers making their way out. "You'll have to forgive me for laughing—I didn't know any of Thor's friends could read."

"Hey!" Steve shoves him and laughs. He grins, his cheeks reddening. "Actually I did have to watch the movie after the first chapter…I wasn't really sure what was going on."

"That's fair; it is a bit difficult to keep up with all of those Bennet girls let alone Mr. Darcy and his inability to control his dancing." They both laugh, Loki chewing on his lip. "I haven't seen the movie actually; I'm always afraid of movies ruining the book."

"It's actually pretty accurate. You know, compared to most…maybe we can watch it sometime-"

"There you are!" Christine snaps, pulling Loki around to face her. "Where's your bitch friend, huh? Or was it your idea to ruin my Future Women of America meeting? Tell Darcy the next time she decides to get her petty revenge by ruining one of my private affairs…oh-" Christine catches sight of Steve, shoving Loki to the side as she tosses her hair over her shoulder. "Hi, Steve. I didn't know you were coming I would've put something cuter on. It is _my_ party after all…" Loki rolls his eyes. "Do you like dancing? We should dance, I _love_ this song and I've been so busy being a hostess, you know…" She places a hand on his chest, her other playing with her hair.

"Oh ummm well I was talking to-"

"Don't worry about it, Rogers, I think I'll just go find my bitch friend." Loki starts to turn when Steve grabs his arm, frowning.

"Can I at least get you a drink? I'm thirsty anyways, I could use a water-"

Loki opens his mouth to answer when Christine interrupts. "Strawberry martini, please."

"I'll just have another beer."

Steve smiles and nods, waving at a few people as he passes on his way to the kitchen; Christine turns to Loki, tossing her hair over her other shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Standing; I'd dance but I don't want anyone to think I'm dancing with you, so I've resorted to simply waiting on my beer. Maybe if I get drunk enough you'll turn into someone more attractive."

She fakes a smile only to return to a scowl. "I meant, since when are you friends with Steve Rogers? Everyone knows the only friends you've ever had are Darcy and those drugatics at Northend."

"Rogers is friends with just about everyone in our class," Loki crosses his arms. "I'm not sure he makes exceptions for-"

"For slutty little coke-heads that dance half-naked for their money?" Christine rolls her eyes. "I've done my research, Laufeyson, you're nothing but a coke snorting whore and why even Darcy—who has so much potential—hangs around with you, none of us are sure. As for Steve…whatever you want with him, back off. He's the kind of arm candy that knows how to be submissive for a woman, which I enjoy. Now get lost, you're ruining my party."

Loki's jaw clenches, glaring at her. "Well in your case I hope Rogers doesn't make exceptions for self-righteous bitches."

Christine scoffs at him as he turns away, quickly pushing his way through the grinding couples to find Darcy, a tray of shots, a bottle of Vodka—anything to make his head pound. He grabs two shots from the first server he spots, downing them both in a second. Due to his small frame—and the fair amount of shots he had earlier—it only took a few minutes and two more shots before Loki was feeling a bit off balance, stumbling through the rooms of the first floor on his search for Darcy. Everything was slowed down and swayed when he walked which he found both frustrating and exhausting. He couldn't find Darcy anywhere who was in fact looking for him in the dining room on the other side of the house. Loki wanders into a back hallway, past the kitchen, and soon finds himself shoved against a hardwood door as a horny couple shoves their way towards the bathroom, Loki opening the door to find a study. Only a few people are in here, all surrounding the desk but looking up as he enters. They were all seniors, one of them Loki recognized from Northend High School.

"Hey…Caleb."

"Yooo, Loki…how you doin', man?" Caleb slurs a bit, his eyes bloodshot, grabbing Loki's wrist and pulling him over to the desk. "Loki's…he's cool you guys, he's cool, he goes 'round with my boy, Trevor." The others all nod approvingly, one of the girls was rather jittery and burst into a fit of giggles, the boy next to her who kept scratching his arms pokes at her to stop. Loki forces a smile, used to being around a group of junkies. Caleb wraps an arm around his shoulders and continues to slur in his ear. "Trevor misses you, man, where you been? It…it true you're back in high school? Because…cause that fucking suckssss, man…you were free. You…you had it all…you know? You had the whole fucking world…"

One girl pokes Loki's shoulder and smirks. "You look like you're having a bad night, sweetie…wanna make it more fun?" They all make hushed noises as if agreeing with their friend. "You wanna hit? Caleb brought some _good_ stuff…"

The jumpy girl lets out a shrill giggle, covering her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got…I got some coke, some heroin, and meth, you always liked the meth, right? Got it from Trevor, he…he got some good stuff just the way you like it."

"I…" Loki looks towards the door, wishing Darcy or Thor or even Christine would interrupt so that he didn't have to give in. He already knew he was going to but the delay always meant he had moments to change his mind except he could feel the itch of want crawling up his spine. "I don't know…"

Caleb grins, holding up a small baggy marked methamphetamine and shaking it in front of Loki's nose. "Hey, come on, sweetcheeks, this one's on me…you know, since you're Trevor's favorite…" he winks.

Loki sighs, not even taking much time to think about it. He shrugs and squats down to be level with the desk, motioning for him to go on. The other junkies make hushed noises as Caleb pours a white powder on the desk's surface arranges it into three straight lines; the girl who was already buzzed out of her mind began to squeal, her friend holding her still. Loki looks up at them all. Their bloodshot eyes, involuntary twitching, the way they scratched at their arms, the dried blood at the base of one nostril, the needle pricks on the inside of their arms…the way they all stared intensely at the three lines on the desk, their mouths all watering, waiting to see if he would take it all for himself or leave them scraps behind. Loki holds one nostril closed as he snorts up the line.


	8. Chapter 8

**(IMPORTANT: I RE-DID THIS CHAPTER DURING LOKI'S PERSPECTIVE)**

**Hey everybody! So…I read every single review I get and they make me so happy you guys, you have no idea. They mean so much to me so thank you so so much for writing them! Here's the next chapter, hopefully will have the next one up later this week. I'm visiting my baby in the afternoons Monday-Friday so I guess it just depends on my mood. Enjoy, as always, and thank you once again, I love you all!**

**(I'm also super nervous about this chapter because Loki gets very repetitive and a little crazy at the end there so I hope I don't lose anyone .)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Okay this warning is pretty serious since I had trouble just writing the first part of Loki's perspective and even just reading it over made me feel like I was about to go into a panic—methamphetamine is pretty powerful and umm…I know it's cliche but please don't do drugs, guys. I don't know any of you on a personal level but I love each one of you and whatever you're going through now, bad or good, it can't stay that way forever. You'll find your sunshine again, I promise. :)**

**Comments/critiques welcomed as always!**

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Finding Loki was like trying to find Waldo except everyone kept moving. While he was in a study in the back, Darcy was looking around the dining and living rooms, searching every group and crowd but giving up her search. Everyone in there was grinding anyways and Loki wasn't drunk enough for that yet. Darcy wanders around a corner when she runs into a hard body, drinks spilling all down the front of her dress. "Fucking hell!" she swears, looking down at herself and thinking of all the ways Loki was going to kill her. It was his after all… Ready to backhand the idiot that spilled the drinks on her she freezes when she sees a very upset looking Steve, two empty glasses in his hands.

"Gosh, Darcy, I'm really sorry…" his face turns redder and redder. "I should've been paying attention and you came out of nowhere-"

"Relax, Steve, I…didn't really like this dress anyways." She grins and bites her lip, twirling her curls around her finger. "Doesn't really fit anyways…sleeveless never really works on girls with breasts like mine, huh?" A shameless flirting tactic since Steve was fighting his baser instincts not to look.

"Ah," Steve blushes and rubs the back of his neck. "I don't know I think you look…good. In the dress. I c-could find some uhh—some wet naps-"

Christine strides up to them—having waited so long she changed into a shorter skirt—and smiles sweetly at Steve. "There you are…did you get my martini?" She glances at Darcy and makes a face. "Oh. Darcy."

"Hi, Christine. Your drink, I believe, is poured down the front of me; you can lick it off if you'd like, I'm sure that'll liven the party up."

"Don't you have any other private affairs to ruin?" Christine sneers.

"God—for the last time, I didn't tell anyone you were having a fucking party! Why would I ruin your stupid Future Women of America meeting, I _am_ a future woman of America! Your announcements from the organization are _very important_ to my wellbeing as a female citizen of the United States of America."

She rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Forget about my drink, Steve, how about that dance now?"

Darcy leans towards Steve, pretending to lower her voice. "If she tries to get you into bed just call her Carolyn; she hates it."

"Oh, shut up, Lewis!"

"What, I thought you liked that? Didn't stop you from fucking Stark-"

Steve frantically speaks up, not wanting to be caught in the crossfires. "Darcy—are you sure I can't help clean that off? Or at least…drive you home so you can change?"

"I'm sure it'll come off with some club soda and a dish towel-" Darcy blushes, not accustomed to being treated the way Steve was offering.

Christine speaks up with a smirk. "Oh, Darcy, I'm sure I can find you something to wear. My daddy should have a sweatshirt big enough; don't know about finding you pants though…what with you having such _wide_ hips."

Darcy's jaw clenches as she looks away with a scoff. "There's bound to be club soda in the kitchen somewhere…after all, Christine, your mother has to get those stains out of the living room carpet somehow. What with her excessive wine drinking? If you'll excuse me, I have a dress to clean and my man-whore to find…" She was too proud to let Christine see her upset. Darcy enters the kitchen and faces the counter, taking a deep breath. "Fucking bitch…" She wipes a stray tear from her eye and turns to find Steve had followed her, smiling faintly and holding out a towel to her. Darcy smiles, taking it. "You really don't have to help, this dress is embarrassingly tight enough without someone patting me down-"

Steve shrugs. "It was my fault. I'll try to find some club soda."

They both dig through the cabinets and refrigerator, Darcy eventually finding a bottle under the sink and exclaiming her triumph, causing a few people to turn and stare; most of them were drunk anyways. Steve holds the bottle and a spare towel while Darcy tries to scrub off the stain. "You'll be finding me in the obituaries if I don't get this stain out…" Steve laughs lightly, shifting in place. He always stood so stiffly.

"Christine shouldn't have said that."

Darcy blinks, looking up at Steve. He was squirming nervously, watching his shoes remain in place as shoes usually do when they aren't moving. "Don't…don't worry about it, Steve, I'm used to it. Christine's a bitch anyways."

"It probably doesn't matter much but…I think you're pretty. I mean—_you know_—uhh…"

"Thanks, Steve." She smiles, her heart fluttering a bit. She'd be lying if she said she didn't have a crush on Steve. Hell, she'd be lying if she denied ever having a crush on Thor—or Loki—but that was just how Darcy's heart worked; it always fell for someone who could see past the things she didn't like about herself. Steve was just one of those people who could see the good in everyone.

Jane taps Darcy on the shoulder with a smile, pulling her out of her trance. "Hey, Darce-" It takes Darcy a minute, her face lighting up.

"Hey!"

Thor follows Jane into the kitchen, people having to move around awkwardly for him to get through. He grabs a new beer and smiles at his friends. "HELLO, STEVE, DARCY-" They both give him a small wave. "DARCY, YOU HAVE A STAIN ON YOUR DRESS!"

"Thank you, Thor, for announcing that—why are you yelling?"

"He thinks no one can hear him," Jane giggles, looking Darcy over. "You do have an awful big stain though—here, let me try." She takes the towel Darcy was using and the club soda, dabbing more on and scrubbing furiously. "So are you having fun? I know you didn't really want to come…"

"Yeah, well, Loki really wanted to for some reason-" Steve was really glad no one saw the way his face lit up; especially since he wasn't sure why he got so happy. "-but now I've lost him. I think he ditched me. HEY, THOR! HAVE YOU SEEN LOKI?!"

Jane makes a face at Darcy for screaming in her ear.

"WE SAW HIM EARLIER—I THINK HE WENT TO FIND YOU!"

"Oh, well, at least he's somewhere in the vicinity." Darcy sighs. "Why does Christine have such a big house? It's not like her parents are going to pop out any more babies! Rich people problems…"

"Thor has a big house. You don't seem to mind that," Steve smiles, sipping his water.

Darcy grins and rolls her eyes. "They only have a big house because Thor and his dad are roughly the same size. How else would they live?"

"I'M SURE IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY FATHER OWNING A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR CORPORATION, RIGHT?" Thor bellows, laughing. Darcy punches his arm.

"QUIT MAKING FUN OF US POOR PEOPLE!"

"There," Jane smiles, asking Steve for the other towel and patting her handiwork dry. "Good as new. Now stop encouraging him to yell, it's embarrassing, I just don't have the heart to tell him." Darcy snickers, tapping Jane on the nose. They'd only been friends for two years now but Darcy still knew how to get under Jane's skin. One of the many traits that made Darcy, Darcy; she knew Jane liked Thor but knew better than to tell him without her consent. Besides, teasing her about it in front of Thor—who was as oblivious as Steve (if not more)—was too much fun for her to resist. She pinches Jane's cheeks, grinning. "Daaawww…is Jane worried she'll hurt poor Thor's feelings?" Jane smacks her hands away, blushing furiously.

"Quit it!"

Darcy and Thor laugh, Thor not really sure why he was laughing other than he felt like it.

"Thor, man, you don't have to yell. We can all here you just fine," Steve pats his friend on the back, winking at Jane. He was only oblivious when people liked him.

Thor offers to pour Jane a drink—who obliges—blushing as he hands it to her. He brushes a few stray hairs behind her ear which makes her laugh nervously into her hand. Thor just smiles, tucking his hand into his pocket and not making any other attempts to touch her; he was a gentlemen. Darcy makes a gagging motion for Steve to see who laughs, averting his eyes from the two of them.

"I'm going to keep looking for Loki," Darcy announces. "If he's wasted I'm sure he didn't get too far since he's wearing heeled shoes…" She takes a sip of water. "Thanks again, you really didn't have to wait on me, Steve, it really wasn't that big of a deal."

"Nonsense, besides it was my fault. Need any help finding him?"

Darcy smiles and wrinkles her nose. "Nah, he's around somewhere, I'll find him. See you around, Steve." She waves him off walking out of the kitchen and taking a right. Best place to start seemed to be the bathroom.

Everything seemed so…significant; the world was so vibrant; everyone could move so fast; Loki blinked and he was back out in the hall. He blinked again and he was in the foyer, everyone dancing and laughing. Everyone was so happy. Loki felt happy too. Everything felt happy. The people are dancing around him and they're all so happy and he's happy because they're happy. Loki can feel the music pounding around him and inside him, pumping through him just like his blood and suddenly he's dancing, letting the music take his blood and move him as it likes. He's dancing and dancing and dancing and three girls laugh and take his hands, dancing with him, but none of them are Darcy he can see they aren't Darcy; they're all so beautiful but they're not Darcy.

Loki's not even sure how he got here. Where did these pearls come from? He grins watching them swing around his neck as he moves, letting the girls grind against him, not a clue as to who they are either but he doesn't care. Everything seemed so perfect, everything made sense and yet it didn't; he could feel the air around him, he could see it.

"You're a good dancer!" the blonde grins, dancing with him. He smiles back at her.

Then he blinks.

The girls are dragging Loki towards the dining room table. Everyone in the room is cheering and the music is blaring and the two brunettes climb onto the table and start to dance. The blonde climbs up next and she's moving her hips and her skirt swings and her hair flies and the crowd loves her. She flips her hair and they all cheer, she tosses her hip and they all whistle and she grins, giving them what they want. Loki's head is pounding, his heart racing, the room moving all around him as he watches her dance. The pearls are heavy around his neck and he looks down at them to watch them dangle, his head spinning; the music rushes like his blood and the sweat on his head feels like blood and he wonders if it's red, red like blood; the blonde takes his hand and the rings on his fingers glimmer in the dim light and he stares at them, fascinated because he doesn't know where they came from, he can't remember. He's pulled up onto the table and the girls all dance around him and the bass of the music starts to fill his belly and Loki can feel it pumping through his veins, taking him over.

Everyone in the room is still cheering while the pearls swing wildly around Loki's neck as he twists his whole body, working his hips because he knows that's what they like, and he runs his hands down his thighs and the crowd cheers. He tosses his head back, his hair flying out of place, the pearls swinging and he's filled with this overwhelming ecstasy and they all cheer and whistle and he keeps dancing because his blood keeps pumping with the music and everything around him feels so alive. Loki twists his hips and drops low, arching his body; he pulls himself back up slowly and the crowd goes wild.

Natasha can't help but laugh at how wasted Loki was; enough that he was up on a table and dancing in front of a crowd of people he despises. It wasn't that he wasn't good—he was sex on the dance floor—but if he hadn't been stoned out of his mind he wouldn't be up there with the three sluts he'd befriended. She looks to Bucky and Clint, who were a few feet away and dying of laughter, and rolls her eyes.

"Here," Steve hands her a cup and takes a sip from his.

"You know, I can't help but wonder what you said to him." He furrows his brow, looking to Natasha who nods towards the table calmly and sips her beer. Steve looks up and chokes on his, sputtering. She pats his back, rubbing between his shoulder blades and smiles. "I'm contemplating on whether or not I should go find Darcy or Thor."

"Darcy—I'll try to get him down."

Steve pushes his way towards the table, barely hearing himself think above the noise in the room. He wasn't sure Loki would even go anywhere with him but it was better than letting him embarrass himself like this. The music is pounding, making the chandelier above the table bounce and shake. "Loki!" Loki obviously didn't hear him because he's still dancing.

"Loki!" he calls again. Steve couldn't tell what was wrong with him, but he needed to get him down before he hurt himself. There was a lazy smile on his face, his eyes hooded, and he was dancing and…and Steve liked it…but he couldn't just leave him up there. It was as if Loki didn't comprehend their fake cheers and whistles or the laughter that overwhelmed the room and for some reason it made Steve angry. "LOKI!"

Loki halters his dancing, hearing his name. The girls laugh, tugging at his arms, the pearls still swinging at his neck. He looks around—all of the faces swirling together, the whole room swirling together…

"Get off the table, faggot!" one of the boys yells, throwing his beer at Loki.

He yelps when the beer splashes all over him; it smells foul and he can hear the laughter and the pearls pull at his neck and the beer runs down his arms and he doesn't want them to see, they're laughing, he doesn't want them to see; he stumbles forward and slips, landing hard onto the table and hitting his head.

"HEY-!" Steve elbows one of the guys in the jaw, only a few of them laughing now, some of them trying to climb up to help. Loki's head is pounding and it hurts and the laughs are ringing in his ears. He blinks and there are hands reaching for him, multiple of them, and he throws out his arms with a cry, trying to push them away. Loki tries to get up himself, his head spinning violently, his arm caught in the pearls. They snap, all of the round beads scattering around him. He tries to catch them and falls off the table into one of the guys who'd thrown the beer.

Steve can't get to him. Loki's now on the floor trying to collect the pearls, appearing and disappearing between the people but they're all drunk, they keep dancing and laughing. One of the guys pulls Loki to his feet, making him yell and try to pull away; he didn't know where he was now, everything was throbbing and red, all he could see was red and white shapes and they were all moving and hurting his eyes and he didn't like it anymore, he felt sick. Loki vomits onto the floor. People around him yell and start shoving at him and Loki begins to panic, his heart pounding and he starts hyperventilating.

"Knock it off, guys, he's obviously done for tonight." Steve pulls Loki towards him, yelling when something that felt like a switch whips across his face. He lets go of Loki, who stumbles out of the room; Steve touches where he'd been hit and feels blood and three scratches but nothing too deep.

Loki crawls up the stairs, the pounding in his head growing worse and the stairs shifting back and forth underneath him, making it hard for him to get to his feet when he reaches the top. Everything's still moving so fast around him and when he blinks he finds himself in the bathroom, gripping the sink, staring wide-eyed at his hands; all of the pearls are gone, he couldn't save them, and there's blood around the rings on his fingers; the water runs around his hand, turning red, washing away, the blood washes away. The room is spinning and throbbing and pulsating around him and he's not sure if it's his head or the blood coursing through his veins…

He vomits the contents of his stomach into the sink. Loki looks at himself in the mirror; his hair was out of place, his pupils were dilated, his mouth twitching; he wipes some blood dripping from his nose, staring at it intensely as he contemplates why it was there, why it had decided to leave his body. _Because I snorted a ton of meth_. He laughs, licking the blood off his hand and stumbling out of the bathroom. There weren't many people up here but he could swear he was up here before; he blinks and he's in a bedroom; there are two girls with him, trying on the lipstick and digging through the jewelry; his lips are red, red like the blood on his hand; he looks down and there is no blood, only rings, rings from the jewelry box…and there are pearls, long strands around his neck, but there aren't any pearls now; there are no pearls or girls, he's alone now; he blinks and he's back in the hall. Loki stumbles forward into the banister, laughing and breathing heavily as he stares down at all of the people dancing; the music and noise made it feel like his whole body was pounding, right in the core; his blood was pounding. Everyone was down so low…or maybe he was just up really _high_. Loki snickers. He could string himself up if he wanted; he could dangle down above them like a phantom, strung up by the pearls around his neck; he could dance above them, twitching and sputtering, so far above them…except he didn't have any pearls, not anymore. Everyone was so far, they were all so far away and he was up here all alone, all alone while they were all so far away. He starts to climb over the banister, hooking his heels between the balusters, both hands holding onto the banister as he leans out over the floor, over the people, his head rushing, the blood pumping through his ears; it was so significant, the blood; he could hear it pumping through his body, his heart drawing it in and pushing it out; he wanders what color it would be…_the blood_. Would it be red like he imagines as it pumps in and out, pumping out of his body as he opens the skin to see the blood? _Would it be red like the blood on his hand?_ But there is no blood on his hand and he laughs because he'd forgotten he'd licked it clean.

Suddenly he's falling; falling and falling and falling and it feels like forever and he can imagine them screaming, crying out as they panic because there is no one to catch him; no one to catch him and his blood as it spreads across the floor, staining their shoes and their minds and their souls; _'Shame on you,'_ he'll say, _'Shame on you for not catching me…shame on you for only catching my blood.'_ But he can see the blood spreading, he can see it moving and gliding slowly towards all of them; towards everyone, everyone who had done this and made him to be this, a puddle on the floor. It was there fault, it was all them, everyone, everyone staring down at him and he reaches for them but they move away…

Loki laughs, looking up from where he'd been pulled back over the banister and onto the carpet, Steve Rogers glaring down at him. "What the fuck were you doing?!" His scowl deepens the louder Loki laughs, Steve looking around and back down at Loki. Loki just laughs more, rolling over to muffle his sounds in the carpet. He rolls himself back over and blinks. Blood. He reaches up and touches Steve's face, his fingers sliding over the fresh marks where the blood was flowing and looks at the blood, the blood on his hand. Loki pulls Steve closer with a hand on the back of his neck and whispers into his ear. Steve sits back up when Natasha and Darcy come up the stairs, Darcy crouching by his side. He can hear their muffled voices and see their red shapes shifting above him and there's blood on his fingers and he laughs.

"Blood."

He blinks and everything goes black.

Darcy strokes Loki's hair softly, avoiding the patch on his head where his bump was. She's sitting back against the headboard of Loki's bed. It's early, still dark out, and they've been home for hours but Loki couldn't sleep. He kept mumbling things to her so she sat his head in her lap to calm him down. Something she was all too used to by now but she never lets him see her cry, she always faces forward, wiping away the tears before he notices.

"Is there blood on my hand?" he whispers, holding it up for her to look.

She sighs. "Not anymore."

There's a silence.

"I'm sorry."

Darcy doesn't answer. Loki places a hand on her cheek, his thumb rubbing over the bone and his fingers teasing her hair; he whispers to her again. "Darcy—I'm sorry." She takes his hand and kisses it, setting it down on his chest.

"You're always sorry."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! This chapter is a little shorter than some of the others but I'm OFFICIALLY diving into the Steve/Loki relationship and I'm squealing I'm so excited. (And me and m'hubby got to talk today which happens rarely but always makes me happy :3)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Just language lol**

**Comments/critiques, welcomed as always! :D**

* * *

Steve rings the bell for the fifth time and checks his watch, shivering slightly. It was getting cold just standing here on the stoop, waiting for someone to answer; then again he may not even be home. Steve hoped he was—the bandage on his face itched, it was cold, and he wasn't sure if he had to use the restroom or not—so he rang the bell again. It felt sort of awkward coming here to see him but not seeing him felt strange as well; granted the events from last weekend would give him every reason not to see Steve but Darcy had assured him that Loki couldn't remember anything. He looks up when he hears the locks on the door click, a disgruntled Loki swinging it open and squinting in the sun; he does a double take and grumbles, leaning on one arm in the doorway and scratching his side. Loki glares at Steve with a scowl.

"Whaaat?" he groans.

"Oh, uhhh—Thor wanted to check on you but I figured I'd offer my services." Steve smiles pleasantly, wincing slightly from stretching the bandage on his cheek.

Loki just stares at him. "It's one in the afternoon."

"Ah," he checks his watch. "Yes."

"It's a school day."

Steve laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, well…you were right—skipping for an edible lunch is a lot more fun than art class." Loki stares blankly at Steve for a moment and sighs, rubbing his eyes.

"You woke me up for that?"

"Well, I—I don't have to be back at school until football practice and you haven't been in school so I figured you could use some company-" Loki shuts the door. Steve sighs, banging his fist—politely—on the door. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have asked you to come to that party, things got out of hand…I have Chinese food!"

Loki reopens the door and looks him over. "You talk to Darcy?"

"She was worried, that's all."

He motions for Steve to come in, pulling his hair up as he walks towards the kitchen and tying it back. Steve closes the door behind them.

In a way it was sort of surreal being invited into a house he was so familiar with by a person he knew nothing about and yet Loki had been around as long as Thor. Amazing how the mind chooses to focus on certain things more than others. Like how as Steve was setting the Chinese food down on the counter he realized that Loki was wearing a skirt. It was a layered skirt, fell at the knees, nothing trashy but it definitely wasn't borrowed from Darcy, it fit him perfectly. He blinks to make sure it was really skirt and not a weird new fashion of capris. Steve had an open mind; he supported gay rights, had no problem with transvestites or cross-dressers—besides, he was bisexual and the way he saw it they weren't bothering anyone. They were just expressing their sexuality like how he expresses his art. And he secretly kind of liked pretty boys in girly clothes.

"I don't know why I have to keep telling you not to stare at me," Loki sighs, pouring a glass of water.

He looks away. "Sorry…"

Loki starts taking out boxes of food and setting them down. Steve sits at the counter and opens them to see if there was anything he might want. He wasn't very adventurous when it came to food; rather, Steve was never given a chance to be adventurous but he'd eat just about anything. Loki hands him a plate and a pair of chopsticks, picking and choosing a fair amount of food. Steve scratches at his bandage and decides to stick with things that he knew what they were; mostly chicken and rice.

They eat in silence, Steve trying his best not to stare as Loki nibbles at pieces of chicken meant to be eaten in one bite. Instead he looks around the house. Nobody else seemed to be home which usually meant it would be in a state of complete Armageddon from Thor and his friends doing whatever they pleased but it looked spotless.

"Did I do that to your face?"

Steve looks up. Loki was pushing the food around on his plate, chin resting in his hand, not even looking at him. He touches the bandage on his face; the marks had already scabbed over which made them itch like crazy and they burned when he moved his face too much but he's had worse.

"Yeah, but—I don't think you were really aiming at me." Steve smiles reassuringly. He was lying but he didn't want Loki to kick him out. "Probably wouldn't have left any kind of mark if you hadn't been wearing those rings. Christine uhh—wants those back, by the way…before her mother gets home-"

"Already pawned them."

He laughs, leaning against the counter. "You know, I can't tell if you're being serious or sarcastic."

Loki sighs, taking a sip of water; he sets the glass down and stares at it, feeling suffocated and self-conscious. He wanted to be alone that's why he wasn't going to school. Wasn't it enough that he'd made an idiot of himself in front of everyone? Not even that, but if anyone at the party was sober enough they'd realize how high he'd been... Loki couldn't remember anything he was just going by what Darcy had told him. He sets his food down, pushing the plate away.

Steve's stomach twists.

"So uhh…have Thor's friends been over? Because this place looks cleaner than usual; usually when your parents are gone it looks like a herd of cattle ran through here." Loki grunts in response, swirling the water in his cup. Steve clears his throat. "So umm—where do your parents usually go on business-"

"Why are you here, Steve?"

He stops, his mind not able to produce an answer fast enough.

"Huh?"

"Why are you here?"

Steve laughs. He could feel his throat closing up. "I told you, Thor wanted me to-"

"Don't! -don't pull the Thor card, okay? He would have called me to make sure I let you in since he keeps _pushing you_ on me-" he takes a deep breath, controlling his temper. "Why are you really here, huh? Here to show me pictures, videos, because I'm pretty sure I've gotten them all…email, text, sliding them under my door—you all think this is so funny, don't you?"

Steve frowns. "Thor's trying to get them to stop, we all are. We're pretty sure it's Harry Osborn but Natasha is interrogating Clint and Bucky and a few others just in case-"

Loki slams his hands down on the counter, sneering and rocking back on his feet. "STOP! Just…stop." He rocks back and forth, breathing heavily and gripping the counter. Steve was so used to Loki expressing no emotions whatsoever that anger came as a bit of a shock. "What do you want from me, Steve, just tell me what you want and leave, please, because I am sick of everyone messing with me, I'm fucking sick of it." Steve just watches him. "I can't get a read on you! I can't tell if you're fooling me or pitying me but you keep messing with my head and I don't know what to do! Just tell me what you want!"

He says nothing.

"What do you want from me?!"

"Nothing!" Steve yells. He sighs, resting his face in his hand. "I don't—I don't know, okay? I don't know what I want…you just—you just looked so-" Loki raises his eyebrows and places his hands on his hips. Steve looks up at him, rubbing his face. "You looked so confident and unafraid and I couldn't understand it. They kept pushing you down but you kept getting back up and I just…I had to do something, I couldn't just stand there and _watch_-" Steve holds up his hands defensively. "I don't want anything, alright? I just wanted to talk, get to know you, be friends, I don't know."

They stare at one another for a long time. Loki pulls his food back towards him, picking at it; Steve feels his stomach drop. He keeps his eyes down as Loki nibbles at another piece of chicken, unsure as to whether he should leave or…

"You do realize you've known me for five years, right?" Loki snorts to himself, observing a piece of chicken and setting it back down. Steve looks up and furrows his brow.

"Yes, but-"

"Well surely you can understand why I'm skeptical then, Rogers. I'm forced back into a school that didn't accept me before and I'm stuck wondering why the star quarterback and my brother's best friend keeps approaching me with juvenile attempts to be 'best buddies'…Thor's friends have all pushed me around before why are you any different?"

"Because I'm trying to help-"

"Bullshit."

"I am!" Steve argues, exasperated. "Look…I get it, okay? I all of a sudden start paying attention to you but it's only because everyone acts like you shot up the school or something and I don't know why they're isolating you. You're so intelligent and creative and witty and I can see that spark in you that lets me know you're still a person; you're not evil or wicked, you don't go around acting like everyone makes you out to be and that's what I don't understand-"

"Why do you need to understand? Can't you just leave me alone like everyone else?"

Steve takes deep breaths, rubbing his eyes. "I don't…I don't know…" His stomach was trying to give out on him and the whole room felt stuffy and hot.

"I didn't ask to be popular," Steve snaps. "Besides it just makes me uncomfortable…" Loki rolls his eyes. Steve clenches his fist, glaring at him. "Stop acting like you know me! What you think just because I'm popular now that I always was? I used to be just like you. I was everyone's punching bag in grade school; I'm shy, I don't like talking to people because I never knew how to talk to people and I fucking hate having to talk to everyone now! I don't know why I keep trying to talk to you, I don't know why I keep trying at all, I just hate not being able to do anything."

"I don't like bullies, alright? I don't like that I can't do a fucking thing about any of this without the proper proof because like it or not my word isn't good enough and I can't just magically make them stop, not without a fight which is bullshit and I don't want to risk it." Loki just stares at him. "I walk into school every day and I see you and I just…I hate what I see alright? I fucking hate it and you know why? Because when I look at you…you reflect how they all perceive you. You've made yourself into this…personification of every foul word and action and bruise and cut and I just—I hate that you've given up! And I'm not upset just for you, I look at Thor—my best friend—and I can see how all of this affects him too-"

He scoffs. "It's none of his business, it's mine!"

Steve scowls at him, just about done with Loki's stubbornness. "Can you not see it?! How can you not see how much pain Thor's in because he knows he can't do anything for you either without you jumping down his throat for standing up for you?! I'm just trying to help because I don't like this, okay? I don't like seeing you let them continue to push you down and I'm sick of looking at you and seeing what everyone already thinks you are, Loki, worthless!"

Loki's face falls, staring at Steve and then looking away. He picks up their plates, dumping them into the trash and placing them in the sink; he packs up the boxes and puts them in the fridge, wiping down the counter and turning away to wash his hands. Steve sighs and looks down at his hands. It came out the wrong way and he didn't mean it the way he sounded. Loki turns back towards him, picking up his glass and gulping down the rest of the water. He sets it down and stares blankly at the counter, trembling.

"Loki-"

Steve reaches for his hand and Loki pulls away.

"I'd like you to leave now…" Loki whispers. He continues to stare blankly at the counter. Steve watches him for a moment and opens his mouth to respond…but Loki interrupts. "Please."

He nods, standing and collecting his keys.

* * *

Loki picks at his lunch, ignoring the whispers and stares around him. He was back in school, not entirely by his choice, but it gave him something to do other than 'mope around the house' as Thor had put it. No one had paid him any mind though at least not directly and he wanted to keep it that way but he knew it wouldn't last forever. People would get brave soon enough but nobody would dare to approach his table during lunch—not with Thor in the same room.

Steve Rogers enters the lunchroom and Loki knows it's him because a majority of the girls giggle to themselves most of them turning their heads to see. He certainly could cause very un-discreet attention; the braver ones say hello as he passes by their tables, tray in hand. Loki looks away as he passes by his. There were no bitter feelings being held, Loki could tell from what Steve had said that he was being sincere but he had no intention of approaching him about this. He simply ignores his presence, assuming that Steve would like to do the same.

But Steve stops just as he's passing Loki by. He looks back at him, Loki picking glumly at his lunch, and looks back towards his friends. Clint and Bucky both motion for him to come, giving him odd looks and turning to talk to Natasha who simply gives Steve a small smile and looks away; Clint and Bucky keep motioning for him and furrow their brows when Steve turns back towards Loki and approaches his table. The students whisper amongst themselves and Loki barely looks up when Steve smiles at him, his hand on the chair. "Is this seat taken?" Everyone goes silent when Loki raises his head; he stares at Steve for a moment before motioning for him to sit.

When Steve sits down the whole room breaks out into hushed whispers.

He ignores their stares, taking a bite out of his sandwich; Loki stares coldly at him, narrowing his eyes, fork still digging around the chicken in front of him. Steve ignores him too pleasantly eating his lunch.

"It's rude to stare you know," he smirks, licking his fingers. Loki snorts and looks back down at his tray. Steve grins; he takes a swig of his soda, looking around and back at Loki. "Darcy not here?"

"Her uterus is on fire."

Steve nods, setting down his drink. Loki stabs into the chicken, which the more he opened the more it smelt like fish, and lets the fork stand straight. He rests his arms down on the table, leaning on them and looking around, a dozen pairs of eyes turning away.

"Listen, Loki—about the other day, at your house—I didn't mean what I said…the way it sounded-"

"Let's get one thing straight," Loki interrupts, his finger resting atop the fork. His jaw twitches. "I don't need your help; I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and the last thing I need is some sort of self-righteous knight in shining armor because I don't believe in that bullshit. If you want to talk to me come up with a better reason than pity otherwise whatever you want this," he motions between them, "to be isn't going to last." Loki narrows his eyes, his face darkening. "You lie to me and try to fuck me over I'll punch you out and make you rue the day you ever messed with me, got it?"

Steve laughs a bit, sitting back in his chair and nodding.

"Am I amusing you?"

He smiles, taking another bite of his sandwich. "Yes, actually, you-" he shakes his head. "Never mind."

"I…?" Loki sneers.

"It's nothing, you're just…you're really cute when you're angry." Steve looks up at him smiling shyly. Loki turns bright red and scowls at him, looking away; Steve just grins and sips his soda.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry this update took so long-my best friend and I don't get to talk very often right now and when we do I'm too distracted to do anything else (mostly because we rp Steve/Loki lol). Everything is sort of building up now and I'll try to get the next update up as soon as I can.**

**(And thanks for all the reviews guys :))**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Eh. Mostly language.**

**Comments/critiques are welcomed!**

**(OH! One more thing...I figured Thor and Loki would be taught multiple languages when they were growing up and I don't speak Italian, I just used Google translate, so if any of the translations seem weird, just ask. :))**

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"Darcy still missing in action?"

Loki snorts, looking up at Steve from his book. "If you're asking whether or not she's still on her period then yes, she is." He turns the page. "Really, Rogers, if you're so curious why don't you just text her? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to go off on someone."

"Are you not talking to her?"

"She becomes unnaturally aggressive during her time of the month—I prefer to talk through her cousin."

Steve smiles to himself, picking at his food. He felt conflicted not sitting with his friends again but Loki was his friend now too and at least Loki talked about more…sophisticated things. Usually. Darcy and her lady troubles were simply a by-product of timing and since Loki was naturally blunt and gave few details Steve didn't mind. Today however he seemed a bit distracted and kept texting someone on his phone, nose buried in a book; Steve didn't _really_ mind all that much especially since he didn't talk a lot and Loki was letting him sit with him…but Loki seemed irritated with whoever was texting him.

"Do you not like chicken?" he asks, watching Loki pick apart the breaded tenders on his tray.

"I'm trying to be a vegetarian."

"Then," Steve forces down a grin. "Why did you get the chicken?"

Loki sighs, nodding towards Steve's friends. Thor was bellowing cheerfully about something, the other guys laughing. "The oaf buys my lunch."

Steve looks over at his friends, Thor's laughter echoing throughout the whole lunchroom. He smiles and rolls his eyes. "Can't you get your own?" He instantly regrets the wording of that phrase as Loki lowers his book to scowl at him.

"Of course I can!" Loki snaps. Steve quickly mumbles an apology and Loki calms himself before answering again. "He's worried I won't eat."

"Why's that?"

"Because I won't. Not unless Darcy and I sneak out but as you can see, Darcy is not here and I have no intention of eating any of the so-called meat products that exit the school kitchen." He turns the page. "Besides it always smells like fish."

Steve sniffs his own chicken and wrinkles his nose. It did smell like fish; his stomach gurgles though and he did have practice today…what he wouldn't give for a burger and fries. He starts to pick at the chicken himself, glancing up at Loki. After observing him these past few weeks, Steve had to conclude that he loved watching Loki read; the way his face was so relaxed, the tiny smirk that teased the corner of his mouth whenever he particularly enjoyed a passage, and his eyes…the way they would spark that magnificent green color only to return to the dulled out green Loki so religiously kept. Steve couldn't help but wonder if the green he would observe were how Loki's eyes normally were without all of his shields up. He quickly looks away when Loki notices him, quirking a brow and returning to his reading. Steve wasn't very good at spying…

"Ciao, all," Christine Everhart and her friend Carol Danvers approach their table, both in their cheer uniforms and Carol carrying a plastic bucket with bright pink duct tape wrapped around it; $$DONATE$$ was scrawled on the front. Steve looks up and smiles, Loki grumbling and setting his book down.

"_Cosa vuoi, cagna_?" Loki sighs, staring dully at them.

Christine makes a face at him—not understanding what he'd said—and smiles sweetly at Steve. "Would you like to make a donation, Steve? We're collecting for the American Cancer Society today."

"_Solo oggi_?"

Steve holds back a laugh, grinning. Christine shoots Loki a look and looks back to Steve, the special mask she had for him back on. He digs around in his pockets. "One sec, I think I have some change from lunch…" He holds out his fist, Christine elbowing Carol sharply who squeaks and holds the bucket out for Steve, blushing lightly.

"Gratzi, Steve."

"_Basta cosí, maiale_," Loki sighs.

"Stop it," she hisses at him. Christine glances at Steve and grumbles, grabbing the bucket from Carol and shoving it towards Loki. "You wanna donate too?" Loki forces a smile, pulling his wallet out of his bag. Christine pulls the bucket away and scowls. "First I want my mother's rings back!"

"_E vorrei impostare la gente in fiamme, ma non tutti possiamo ottenere ciò che vogliamo, possiamo_?"

Christine sighs, holding the bucket back out to him. "Fine." Loki digs through his wallet and pulls out a fifty, dropping it into the bucket. All three of them stare at him. "I don't have change for that-"

Loki shrugs. "I'd write a check but my parents cut me off." He puts his wallet away and picks his book back up, continuing where he left off. Christine rolls her eyes and mumbles a 'whatever' before turning back to Steve.

"Thank you for your generous contribution, Steve. Ciao, ciao."

"_Arrivederci_, Christine."

She scowls at Loki, moving on to the next table, dragging Carol with her. Carol blushes, giving Steve a little wave. "Bye, Steve."

Steve watches her go, looking back down at his tray and not noticing Loki watching him curiously. He glances over at his friends, his stomach twisting slightly, part of him wanting to rejoin their antics but not wanting to be rude. Part of him also wanted to sneak out and grab an edible lunch. Loki marks his place, setting his book aside and pushing his tray away from him; Steve does the same. Neither of them was very good with conversation, they usually got lucky, and Steve didn't want to annoy Loki by pointing out every interesting thing that he did—like how he spoke Italian. Steve was pretty sure it was Italian. His stomach growls.

"Hungry?" Loki asks, scrolling through his phone.

"Well, I don't think my stomach is giving me much of a choice."

Loki snorts. "Yes, well, nine freshmen went home sick after eating the chicken at lunch so…I wouldn't risk it." He gives Steve a smile. "Although…Mr. Logan is apparently so hungover that he's still drunk—we could always go to that diner on Milton Street, skip art class…what do you think?"

Steve mulls over the idea; it was a good chance for them to hang out without all the…distractions. He glances over at his friends and Christine, relentlessly flirting with all of them. "You know…that sounds pretty good. Some milkshakes, a couple of burgers…"

"Vegetarian, Steven."

"Fine…" he laughs. "A burger and a _salad_."

Loki stands, slinging his bag over his shoulder and motioning for Steve to follow. He sticks to one side of the hallway and Steve was surprised at how calm he was; Loki always kept his head so high, Steve couldn't comprehend confidence like that; he follows him but still felt on edge, as though someone was going to catch them even though the teachers that passed them by weren't even paying them any mind.

"So uhh—how do we get out without anyone noticing?"

"Steve, you're an honor student, quarterback of the football team, and all around goody-goody, you could walk out the front door and no one would pay you any mind." Loki runs a hand through his hair. "Me, on the other hand, they'd call the police and a parental meeting to further understand why I'm so troubled. Unfortunately we're going to have to do this my way." He pushes open the door to the girls' bathroom and holds it for Steve, who hesitates. Two girls were standing at the mirrors and both of them squeal—obviously younger—and stupidly remind them that it was the girls' bathroom but then swoon at the sight of a blushing Steve Rogers waving shyly at the pair of them. "Oh, stop it, your stalls have doors, no one can see if your panties are down. Now don't tell anyone we were here, I know Darcy Lewis." The girls both squeal and run out the door, Loki rolling his eyes.

"Is Darcy your trump card?" Steve looks around, rather embarrassed by being in there.

"Usually; Thor I use for drastic measures." Loki jumps up onto the small shelf bolted into the wall, holding onto the stall frame for balance; he uses the heel of his hand to force the narrow window open, pushing it until it latches itself open. "Darcy's breasts can fit through here so I'm sure you will too." He tosses his bag out first, Steve watching as Loki starts to pull himself through, standing below him just in case. Loki's sweater catches in the window and pulls up slightly and Steve hadn't noticed how tight his jeans were or maybe how filled out his butt was and…why was he thinking about this? Steve starts climbing up after Loki's through, ignoring how mesmerizing Loki's butt was and how wrong it was that he noticed, and barely squeezes himself through. He pulls himself to his feet, laughing and brushing the grass off his jeans.

"Well…that was fun."

Loki grins. "Yeah, well, it was more fun freshmen year when Darcy got stuck and the firemen had to come grease her out."

Steve laughs, pulling out his keys. "Holy shit, that was because of her? Everyone told me it was because Thor got his head stuck."

"Oh, no, I just made that up so no one would make fun of Darcy." He hooks his bag over his shoulder and nods towards the parking lot. "You're the black truck right? Because I didn't steal Thor's keys, so you're driving."

* * *

The waitress looks over at her table with the two attractive young men, feeling butterflies in her stomach. They'd been going over their menus for a good ten minutes now and the darker of the two seemed irritated; he'd been playing with the sugar for a good while. She approaches them with a nervous smile, her stomach twisting when they look up at her. The one with the broad shoulders gives her a smile and the other stares into her—not at her, _into_ her. He was cute but…who could resist a guy with shoulders and eyes like his friend had? Anxiously, she opens her ticket book and gets out her pen and like clockwork she asks: "What can I get you?"

Loki gives their waitress a small smile, flicking his eyes to her nametag and back up to her. He pretends to browse over his choices again before looking back up at her, resting his chin on his hands. "Well, Janie…I'll have a bacon cheeseburger, extra cheese, extra bacon, hold the lettuce and tomato with a side of fries and a vanilla cola." Loki smiles sweetly at her and hands her his menu.

"A-a-and for you?"

Steve smiles at Janie as well but naturally, not out of charm. "The same; bacon cheeseburger with everything, a side of fries, and a regular cola for me, please. Thanks." He hands her his menu and she bites her lip, grinning.

"I'll have that r-r-right out to you."

She walks away and Steve grins at Loki. "Extra bacon?"

"Shut up, I suck at being a vegetarian. Especially with all your American junk food…"

"I always forget you're not American." Steve looks through the tiny menus on the stands at the side of the table. "I guess Thor just blends in here really well."

"And I don't?" Loki quirks a brow.

"No…I just—haven't seen you around enough, I guess…you don't exactly let yourself stand out." Loki shrugs, grabbing the milkshake menu and looking it over. Steve laughs to himself. "You both still have accents though so I suppose that would give you away."

"I think that's more of a home influence than anything." Loki smirks, their waitress approaching with a basket of fries and their drinks. She sets the glasses down in front of them reciting what they ordered and sets the fries down as well. "A basket of cheddar bacon fries—on the house." Janie tucks her hair behind her ear, smiling. "Can I get you anything else?" They both look at one another, Steve motioning for Loki to go first.

"I'll have a chocolate malt."

"And I'll have a vanilla milkshake."

Janie writes their orders down, glancing bashfully at Steve. "Alright—I'll have those out with your food." She tugs at her hair and takes a few steps away, grinning at Steve. "Enjoy your fries…"

Steve smiles, looking down at the table and Loki rolls his eyes. He picks at the fries, not wanting to pass up a free meal; it was a little annoying that Steve flirted with everyone but Loki figured if he flirted a little too their dopey waitress would give them _something_ for free. Steve sips his soda and Loki stirs his, continuing to eat the fries. It was a bit strange that Loki found himself so comfortable with Steve; he posed no real threat at the moment and was always polite, courteous, which Loki wasn't sure what to do with and he had no ill-quarrel with Steve other than being close friends with Thor so he figured a state of toleration was the only reasonable conclusion. Loki wouldn't say they were friends, of course not, he'd simply say they were friendly. He didn't really have any friends other than Darcy and no one would believe Steve Rogers to be friends with the likes of him. As for Steve, well, Loki wasn't really sure what he'd say…about himself that is. Would he say they were friends? Loki frowns. All this thinking was making him hungry.

His phone goes off in his pocket and Loki contortions himself in the booth to pull it out. The message only makes him more irritated but he answers it quickly.

Loki continues to eat the fries, pulling them apart and dipping them in the ranch before stuffing them into his mouth rather crudely. He scowls at the table, his brows knit together. Steve slides a penny towards him and Loki looks up. "Penny for your thoughts?"

He stares at the copper coin before shaking his head. "You are the most incessant flirt; you do realize this, don't you?"

"Huh?" Steve furrows his brow.

"Here we go!" Janie announces, setting their food down. "Two bacon cheeseburger platters, one with extra bacon and cheese, one with everything, a chocolate malt and a vanilla milkshake. Did I get that right?" Steve smiles, giving her a nod. "Okay…well…just—ask if you need anything, anything at all..." she laughs, blushing as she trips on her way back to the kitchen.

Loki pulls a slice of bacon out of his burger and starts to nibble on it. He looks off towards the direction their waitress went, more than likely giggling to the other waitresses about how attractive Steven was; he rolls his eyes. "Is that the kind of girl you're interested in?" Loki sips his malt. His phone goes off.

Steve chews his food and looks over towards Janie; he blinks. "What do you mean?" He takes another bite of his burger, Loki nibbling slowly at his own. Loki's phone goes off again and they both look at it. "She's cute but…I don't know her."

"Like how you know Christine?"

"Huh?" Steve smirks. "Why the sudden interest in my dating life?"

"Simply curious; as I said, you have a tendency to flirt with everyone…including myself." Loki stirs his malt, his chin resting in his hand and watching his companion. Steve swallows his food and quirks a brow. He didn't quite understand—Loki could tell from the look on his face. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Steve shrugs, licking his fingers. "I don't know what you mean by flirting…I'm just trying to be nice to everyone." His sips his shake. "As for Christine…I'd never go out with her; she's…" he makes a face, "she's really a bitch. I don't like the way she talks down to people…"

"Then why don't you say something?" he looks down at his phone.

"Well…uhh…" Steve blinks. "I don't know…I guess because a lot of us just ignore her. And you said I shouldn't stick up for you." He bites into his burger.

Loki rolls his eyes, looking around. "Have you ever even asked a girl out before?" His phone goes off once more and he ignores it, tossing it aside with a scowl. He digs his hand into his hair and sets his elbow on the table; he glares at nothing, his arms trembling; he rubs his eye with the heel of his hand and looks back up at Steve who's staring rather concerned at him. Loki looks down. "That was mean…I didn't mean to emasculate you in any way." Loki glances at his phone when it goes off again. "I have a lot on my mind."

Steve frowns, looking at Loki's phone. "Are people still bothering you?"

"In a way…" he sighs, picking at his food. Loki chews his lip. "I prefer not to talk about such personal matters and I will give you the same courtesy. It is your business who you spend your time and money on and it isn't my place to question your affairs especially since we barely know one another and have yet to become…" his mouth twitches, "_friends_." Steve nods and goes back to eating his lunch, smiling to himself. He was starting to pick up little quirks and things Loki did just from what he'd observed and talking to him now. When Loki was nervous he had a habit of stammering, like many people do, but rather politely and to Steve it gave him a glimpse of who Loki really was instead of the walls he consistently put up around himself.

And when it came to Loki, Steve figured "an eye for an eye" was the best method of communication.

He looks up when Loki slides something towards him, lifting his hand to reveal a penny. Steve didn't realize how hard he was concentrating on his food. "Penny for your thoughts?" Loki teases, smirking. They both laugh, Steve's nose blushing a deep red; Loki finally turns off his phone and sets it back in his bag, continuing to eat his food slowly.

"Peggy Carter." Loki looks up, quirking his brow. "She was the only person I've ever asked out—everyone else I've ever dated asked me."

Steve shares a small smile with him, Loki pushing his hair back behind his ear and looking back down at his food. Time got away from them as they spent the good rest of their lunch eating and talking about nothing personal at all, laughing amongst themselves when their waitress leaves the bill with her phone number scrawled across the bottom.


	11. Chapter 11

**(Thank you to Khordealis who made the Swedish corrections for me :))**

**Oh goodness I got really sad writing this...for more than one reason but I'd rather not talk about it. Anyways, as usual I love all of your wonderful comments and I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this. Things are going to start picking up between Loki and Steve now, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Language**

**(I made Thor and Loki to originally be from Sweden since that's one of the Norse countries)**

**Comments/critiques are always welcomed!**

* * *

Darcy bangs her hands on the steering wheel and flips her hair. She was in a surprisingly good mood after bouncing back from her week of torment.

"'_Cause she's an uptown, get-around, anything-goes girl, girl… She's a hardcore, candy-store, gimme-some-more girl, girl…_"

She bobs around to the music, pushing her hair back out of her face. It was unusually warm for early October but Darcy was rather fond of driving with her windows down; it made her feel adventurous like people in movies who have nothing better to do than drive around on the open road.

"_Saying yeah…you want her, but she's so mean… Yeah…you want her, but she's so mean…_"

It was Sunday. Darcy hated Sundays. In fact she hated Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays; she wasn't sure why she was so fond of Wednesday though other than it being the middle of the week; her favor for Fridays and Saturdays were self-explanatory.

"_And all you want is just to hold her, but she don't go for that… She has a hard time coming when she can't hit back…_"

Darcy pulls up in front of Loki's house, noting on the lack of cars which meant his parents were away on business as usual which also meant that the only fighting would be because of one of Loki's bad moods and Thor's adorable annoying tendencies. She continues to bang on the steering wheel, giving it a few minutes. "_Yeah…you want her, but she's so mean …_" She turns off the radio and kicks her door open—damn thing was so rusted one had to force it—and she swings the keys around her finger. Technically she had homework she could've been doing…but when she weighed out her choices of bothering Loki or writing an English paper about a book she didn't read Loki seemed more interesting.

And if she sold him her soul she could get him to write her a paper.

She continues to hum. A cat runs between her legs as she walks up to the door, rubbing against her and purring. Darcy wasn't particularly fond of cats; she wouldn't pick them up or hold them but she tolerated them. The cat scratches at the door and meows. She snorts, "I can't let you in, I don't know if you're allowed-" she lifts her head when she hears shouting and sighs. Loki was in a bad mood. Darcy lets herself in, the cat running in before she can get her foot out; Thor and Loki were both standing in the kitchen, Loki leaning against one of the counters with a coffee mug in his hand and scowling as usual while Thor stood with his arms crossed, scowling right back at him. They take no notice to her presence, Darcy tossing her keys onto the side table and kicking the door closed. It wasn't unusual for them to fight and to be honest Darcy was surprised they didn't fight more often but over the past three years or so Thor had been doing his best to give Loki his space.

"You had _no_ right to go through my phone-"

"You weren't answering it! Mother called and said you weren't answering her texts or calls-" Loki scoffs and rolls his eyes. "And I saw all those…messages from other people…"

"Which you had no right to see!"

"You think I want this to happen all over again-"

"I didn't even know you were still capable of thought, you idiot, what should I care what you think?"

Thor scowls at him. "_Det är du som låter folk trampa på dig_!"

"_Det gör jag inte alls_!"

Darcy flops down onto the couch and turns on the TV. It was hard to pay attention to a fight when she couldn't tell what they were saying.

"_Mamma är orolig för dig, du pratar ju inte med henne_!"

"_Ja, våra samtal har ju varit så uppfriskande_," Loki sips his coffee. "_Jag gör vad jag vill _Thor_, och det sista jag vill göra är att prata med din mamma eller hennes skitstövel till make-_"

Thor growls and grabs the front of Loki's shirt, lifting him up. "You'd best watch your tongue, Loki, no matter what quarrel you have with our parents, you _will_ respect them!"

"STOP IT!" Darcy snaps, looking over at them. "Thor, put him down, you're just going to regret it later when he's not talking to you." She keeps flipping through the channels, Thor doing as she says; Loki pushes his way past his brother and sits in the chair next to Darcy, scowling. Thor storms upstairs. She watches him go before turning to Loki. "I swear, all you do is try to fight with him…can't you two get along like you used to? I don't like angry Thor."

Loki curls up in the chair and pouts. "Shut up, Darcy."

Multiple cats climb up on the chair with Loki, purring and kneading against him. Darcy wasn't a cat person but Loki was; dogs smelled and drooled and rolled all over everything and made everything else smell and they always _always_ wanted affection so they weren't Loki's style; cats however kept affection to themselves unless they wanted it. Loki had found he had more in common with animals. They gave affection no matter what you'd done, what you were going to do, who you were…as long as you were considerate of them, they were considerate of you, and no judgment was passed in their eyes. Darcy watches the cats climb all over Loki, settling down against him and purring. She puts the TV on mute and squats down onto the floor, scooting over towards the chair and sitting down, petting the closest cat to her.

"So what's up with all these guys, I know your parental units aren't letting you keep them."

"Thor's taking them to the shelter later," he mumbles. "They needed a rescue house until the shelter was ready for them." Loki pets the cats laying against his chest.

Darcy stretches, making a face when one of the cats climbs down onto her lap. "One of these years I should just get you a kitten for Christmas…" She pets the cat regardless of its invasion of her personal space. "Then you'll have something to occupy your time when I'm not around instead of running out trying to find affection somewhere else, huh?" Loki grunts. Darcy sits up and sets her head on the chair against his, grumbling when the cats sniff at her face. "So how's it going? I hear you and Steve have been hanging out."

"How do you think it's going?" he sighs. "Did you not just scold me and the oaf?"

"Excuse you—I believe I asked about Steve Rogers and his fine ass, you and Thor fight every fucking day why would I care about that?" Darcy cared; Darcy cared a lot in fact but she knew there was no use in making Loki talk when he didn't want to talk. It was either that or they'd start fighting and everyone in the house would be in a bad mood. Besides she already knew about the messages and the videos and harassment…even if she hadn't known she would have figured it out; Loki was a talented liar and he could lie about a lot of things but even Darcy knew when he had too much being thrown at him all at once. He could build up all the walls in the world around him to keep every living thing out and she'd still know. She always knew. "Now are we going to talk about how sculpted Steve's butt is, or should I just leave because that's honestly the only reason I came over."

Loki snorts, staring at her. "Get off my chair and maybe then I'll talk to you." Darcy grins, shifting to sit back against the front of the couch, turning the volume on the TV back on. Loki sits up slowly, letting the cats shift around to settle against his sides and lap. "Why do you watch this Japanese horror shit, it's always the same ghost haunting the same dumb bitch who doesn't know when to quit."

"That's because it's The Ring II dumbass." She pulls her hair back. "So what, you and Steve just hang out and shit now?"

"Not exactly. We sit together at lunch and talk in the halls and sometimes in class—nothing special."

Darcy bites her lip to hold back a grin. "So…what do you talk about?" Loki shrugs, his attention on the movie; Darcy punches him. "Come on! You know I like him—does he ask about me? Is he dating anyone?"

He rolls his eyes. "Doubtful."

"What's that mean?"

Loki glances at her and sighs, pushing himself upright much to the cats disapproval. "Rogers is a nice guy…but he's almost _too_ nice." He pushes the cats aside gently and stands to walk towards the kitchen. "I got the feeling that he's not seeing anyone though. And if you're going to make a move I suggest you make it fast because Carol Danvers seems to have her eye on him." Loki takes a water out of the fridge and gulps some down. He sits back down in the chair as Darcy wrinkles her nose.

"Carol Danvers? No way, she's had her eye on Bucky ever since Natasha dumped him for Clint—which in my eyes makes Bucky off limits, even you aren't crazy enough to pick up Natasha Romanoff's sloppy seconds…" Darcy holds her hand out for his water and takes a swig. "What do you think though? Do you think Steve likes me?"

"Rogers likes everyone, that's his problem."

"No-" she makes a face at him. Loki could be such an insufferable ass sometimes. "Come on, princess, I don't want to make a move if you know he doesn't like me."

"I don't _know_ if he likes you like that, Darcy, that's just it—he's nice to everyone, he's polite, and yeah, he asked about you once or twice, but I'm pretty sure he was just making conversation." He sips his water. "He likes you as a friend, yeah, but I don't get the feeling he has his eye on anyone so you're going to have to fight it out with whoever else may like him which is just about every fucking girl in the tri-state area."

Darcy groans and lets herself fall over onto her side. He was right though; she was going to have to up her game if Steve Rogers was ever going to take an interest in her—Darcy glances up at Loki. Steve did have an unusual interest in Loki…Loki her bestie best best friend. She grins. The bestest bestie best best friend a girl could ever have. "Hey, Loki-" he looks down at her. "Do you think you could _maybe_-"

"No."

"But you don't even know what I-"

"I'm not talking you up to Rogers. Flash your breasts or something, but leave me out of it."

She pouts, poking his side continually. "But guy friends are supposed to talk up cute girls to their other guy friends!"

"I am _not_ a guy friend and am certainly not his friend," Loki scowls at her. "Rogers and I talk, that's it. And who said you were cute?" He pauses. "Don't say Thor." One of the cats meows at him, crawling up to lay on his chest. "That's an idea—why don't you go bother Thor because you're annoying me."

"You're an ass! Can't you do this one thing for me? Please?" Darcy jabs her finger into his side. "I'll do whatever you want!"

Loki squirms away from her finger and sighs. "You talk to him anyways, why can't you just flirt or something?"

"Give me one good reason why you can't help me and I won't ask you again," Darcy crosses her arms, staring hard at him. She had called his bluff; he didn't have a good reason other than an uneasy feeling in his gut that he couldn't explain and simply not wanting to. He sighs and rubs his eyes.

"Fine! Fine…I'll—_try_ to remember, but no promises."

Darcy squeals and jumps up on her feet to crush him in a half-hug against the chair cushions, kissing him. Loki sputters and pushes her away to wipe the back of his hand across his mouth. She kisses his nose and forehead instead, the cats pawing at her face and Loki trying to push her off of him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the only, bestest, greatest friend I'll ever need!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just get off me…"

Instead, Darcy pushes him so that he's sitting up and settles on the chair with him, letting his head rest in her lap as she pets his hair. The cats all climb back on Loki as he adjusts himself, purring and rubbing all over him and Darcy who swats gently at them to leave her alone. Loki sighs and closes his eyes; she knew he liked the physical attention sometimes especially when he felt stressed from being locked out and outcast. He hums, petting the two cats closest to him. Darcy's buzz dies down as she pets his hair and watches him. She knew he'd been being harassed ever since last weekend but there wasn't much she could do. When Steve had told her all he'd witnessed at the party she sensed a hesitation, like he didn't want to tell her everything or that he was embarrassed to say, she wasn't sure, but all Darcy really knew about was Loki's rather provocative dancing. He'd taken dance lessons with her as a joke but had gotten quite good like he did with just about everything else he did but when it came to the more lewd dancing he certainly had the hips and ass for it. She sighs, knowing very well this wouldn't be the end of any harassment during the year, and kisses the tip of his nose; Loki opens his eyes to stare at her.

"So what's up with Frigga? You two are fighting?" Loki shakes his head. "Hmm…Thor seemed pretty upset."

"He's not sure what to do…"

Darcy nods. "None of us really are…you've been in school almost a month and the whole junior class is in an uproar. So what's going on, what aren't you telling me?"

He battles his want to not talk to her, Darcy can see it on his face. "Fucking Sif…she found one of the videos of me at the party and asked Frigga how I was adjusting back in school…she asked why she'd asked and Sif said she'd seen some videos of me and was _concerned_. Fucking bitch…" Loki grumbles. "So now Frigga's trying to get me to tell her what's going on but I'm ignoring her and that's why Thor's panties are in a twist. She went crying to him that I'm rejecting her and that I don't want her in my life anymore, I'm sure of it…"

"Fucking Sif; want me to beat her up?" Loki nods, faking a pout and turning his head to hide his grin. "She'd hand my ass to me though, huh? You'd be carrying me to the hospital in a shoe box." He laughs, burying his face into her thigh. Darcy pokes at his face and steals his water from him, taking a sip and holding it above her head. "No, you have to reach for it."

"_Ge tillbaka det, din bitch_!"

"Your devil's language can't help you now! Reach, princess-" She yelps when he punches her in the boob and drops the bottle on his face, making him yelp as well. They both laugh, Darcy pushing down on his face while Loki pinches her sides, all of the cats staring and meowing at their chaos. Loki wriggles like a worm when she starts to tickle him and flips off the chair, sending two of the cats running. He grabs for her arm and tries to pull her down with him but she grips the chair and refuses to be defeated. Thor comes back downstairs and snorts when he sees them wrestling one another. He pulls a shirt on over his head, pulling his hair back and tying it in place.

"Loki-"

Loki sits up at the sound of his name, pushing at Darcy so she doesn't roll down on top of him. "Hmm?"

"_Jag är ledsen för att mitt humör tog överhanden_. _Kan du åtminstone försöka sluta fred med mamma_? _Snälla_?"

He nods, giving his brother a small smile; Darcy squeals when Loki pins her into the chair cushions, the cats moving to climb onto her back and lay down. "Nooooo they're touching meeee!"

Thor shakes his head and smiles. "Are you ready to take them over to the shelter? I don't want mother and father getting home and making a big fuss about them…father's blood pressure has been high enough as it is."

"Yeah, I'm sure the shelter's ready for them. We have…seven and we can double up in carriers but Sheba there—the female—is pretty old, she doesn't move much so I'm sure she'll be fine just sitting on my lap." Thor nods and scoops up two of the cats while Loki carries the pet carriers over from the foyer. They pack the six of them up, some of them starting to howl from being packed in so tightly. Loki shushes them, cooing at them through the bars. Darcy helps carry the carriers to the door while Loki scoops up Sheba.

"I'll bring the car around the drive." Thor grabs his keys and heads towards the front door. Loki and Darcy settle down on the couch, Sheba purring pleasantly on Loki's lap. They both jump to their feet when Thor starts howling outside. "What are you doing—_SE UPP HUR DU KÖR, ANNARS SLÅR JAG IN ANSIKTENA PÅ ER_!" Both head outside to see Thor glaring angrily after two boys running down the street. Loki touches his arm and talks to him in Swedish to calm him down. Darcy frowns when she sees what Thor had gotten so angry about. The unfinished remnants of "faggot" had been sprayed on the front of the house in large bold letters. Thor sighs, rubbing the back of his neck to calm himself. "I'll…get the hose and try scrubbing this off. Hopefully we'll get to the shelter before it closes; if not I'm sure we can hide the cats upstairs in both our rooms until tomorrow."

Loki nods.

"Let me take care of it," Darcy offers, pulling her hair back in place and shrugging.

Thor furrows his brow and shakes his head. "You don't have to-"

"It's fine, really. Take Loki and his precious cats to the shelter and get them settled, I'll get this cleaned up before your folks get home—_I hope_."

The brothers look at one another and then back at Darcy, both frowning.

"Want me to get the bucket-"

"Go!" Darcy orders, pushing them towards the car. "I'll take care of it, I promise." Thor takes her hand and kisses it, giving her a small smile. He helps pack up the car, Loki placing Sheba in the front seat and walking back over to Darcy. "No. You're not helping me, get your ass in Thor's SUV before I beat the shit out of you." Loki smiles sadly at her, glancing at the word he knew was meant for him and climbs in the car with Thor, Darcy waving them off. She watches them drive out of sight and sighs.

Darcy collects a bucket and sponge from the garage, filling the bottom of the bucket with soap; she carries it out to the hose and fills the bucket until suds start to pour over the side. She makes multiple trips, carrying the bucket over to the wall, and then the soap, and then tugging and pulling the hose until it's far enough that it'll reach. And as Darcy squats down to start scrubbing away the offensive word she could feel her chest tighten. It was tiring. Not the hose or the bucket or how long it took to scrub away each letter…Darcy was just tired. She was best friends with an emotionally abused boy who couldn't seem to catch a break. All she wanted was someone to see him just like she did—someone that was _worth_ something with intelligence and creativity and such wonderful potential…Darcy scrubs angrily and feels the tears well up in her eyes. She tries to wipe them away but they just keep coming and coming. What was going to happen? Would they keep abusing him like this, in the shadows, or would it get physical again? Darcy wasn't sure she could handle anything getting physical…she could barely handle what was happening now.

She scrubs and scrubs at the letters but in her mind they just won't go away because they'll always be there…they're always there and she's not sure if they'll ever go away. Darcy sits down on her knees and sobs, the suds dripping down the remaining letters.


	12. Chapter 12

**I know, I know, I promised two chapters but I've had a really rough stressful week...finishing this chapter was like crawling through broken glass. I'm sorry to sound so grumpy, I don't mean to be. I am trying to pick up my mood and work ethic so cross my heart that the next upload will be two chapters instead of one. Besides it would be cruel to leave you hanging at the end of the next chapter anyways. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Language**

**(Amora's a crazy bitch...just saying)**

* * *

It was raining.

Loki was fond of the rain but this was an autumn rain; it was cold and damp and clung to your skin like a thin sheet of ice but Loki was used to being cold, he'd be cold if it was a thunderstorm in the middle of July despite his wool sweater and jeans. The only reason he was out in the rain was because he'd stormed out before Thor had a chance to get downstairs. He was sick of everyone—especially his "parents"—involving themselves in his business. So a few videos were floating around, he was being harassed at school, but it wasn't anything he didn't expect to happen and he'd dug his own grave, he could dig himself back out. As long as things didn't get physical Loki didn't have to worry about Thor getting involved or…_Darcy_. That was the last thing he wanted. He could sense her starting to break down already and he knew it was partially his fault; doing the meth at the party was stupid, he knew that, but when a free hit is offered up on a $1000 solid oak desk—who could refuse an offer like that? Loki kicks at a puddle. The least he could do was set Darcy up with Steve, that would take her mind of things, but Steve…Loki couldn't get a read on him, he wasn't good with people who had a solid positive vibe. Fucking Steve Rogers was practically perfect in every way and he was sure Julie Andrews would agree with him.

A car pulls up beside him, radio blaring inside; it takes Loki a moment before he recognizes the car, the driver already rolling down the window.

"What do you want, Amora?"

She flips her blonde hair back, running a hand through it as she looks him over. He was sure that compared to her prep school uniform and the fact that he was drenched he looked rather like a wet cat. Amora smirks at him; the gold hoops in her ears dangle against her neck and Loki's sure she's wearing more makeup than is allowed in Catholic school. "Need a ride?" her voice is what tends to draw people in. It's sweet and smooth but there's a hidden edge to it that most don't pick up on until it's too late.

Loki scowls at her, it suddenly starting to rain harder…he was sure it was her fault. "I'd rather shit first and die." He keeps walking, slowly, and Amora pulls the car along with him.

"Awww…c'mon, boo-boo," she coos. "I don't bite…_hard_." Amora always reminded him of a Venus flytrap; instead of eating flies she ate men…both literally and figuratively, and yet somehow Thor had survived. He checks his phone and sighs—he was already late. He'd been walking aimlessly and lost track of time. Loki climbs in the car and scowls at her when she gives him a smug look. Amora pulls away from the curb, her acrylic nails clicking against the wheel. "So…what's up, buttercup? Heard you were back in the _in-sti-tu-tion_." She grins.

"Fuck you."

Amora rolls her eyes and smiles. "Hostile—always hostile—and I'm not so sure you have time for us to fool around, baby, aren't you late for school?"

"Aren't you?"

They share a mutual look, Amora still giving him her conceited smirk. He hated her. And it wasn't just that he hated her…they were equals; granted Loki's levels of intelligence were much higher than hers but they both knew that deep down they were wicked people it was just that Amora tended to nurse her psychotic intentions more than Loki. She would squeeze the people she manipulated until there was nothing left in them but an empty shell of who they once were. Thor was lucky. He became immune to her long before she strangled the life out of him like the snake that she was. Loki on the other hand, well, Amora was one of the reasons he didn't trust women anymore.

"So what exactly were you doing walking around in the rain?" Amora skillfully pulls a cigarette out and lights it without swerving. "You'll catch a cold, princess, wouldn't want that." She holds the pack out to him.

Loki accepts. "Fighting." He lights it and takes a drag, cracking the window just slightly.

She nods, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "Would have never guessed you'd end up back in school…your parents really laying down the law, huh? Did you not get a choice as to which school you could go to?"

"As if I'd choose to go to the same school as you…"

"Or Sigyn?" He turns away from her and she smiles. Amora pulls into the school lot and pulls around to the front door, parking the car. Loki continues to smoke his cigarette. "How's Thor?"

"None of your business, bitch," he sneers through his teeth. "Too bad one of your boy toys slipped through your slimy little fingers, eh? Speaking of which—how's the new one holding up? Does he give you a good fucking?" Amora laughs, flipping her hair back. She blows smoke out of her nose and runs a hand over her scalp.

"I don't sleep with him; I keep him around as incentive for getting what I want." She reaches over to push his hair to the side, playing with it a bit. "And what about your girly, hmm? How is the little mouse?"

He sighs, pushing her hand away. "Darcy is fine."

Amora looks him over and snorts a cloud of smoke into his face, watching him squint. She scowls. "You look like shit; you look like a drowned rat, a mutt thrown onto the streets. How does it feel to be weak, Loki, I'm curious?"

"What do you want from me?"

"To gloat, obviously, what else?" She reapplies her lipstick. "Look, _precious_…you're washed up, okay? You let emotions get the best of you, you don't take charge, you don't leave people _crushed_ anymore. It's pathetic." Amora opens a window and flicks her cigarette out. Loki figured she'd shown up for a reason; the road he was walking on was nowhere near her route to school. Gloating was beneath her though…and if she was trying to egg him on, it wouldn't work. He had a short temper like Thor but controlled it much better. Few things made him rage out. What Amora could gain from pushing him over the edge he wasn't sure, but he'd have to look into it. "I never thought I'd see the day when Loki Laufeyson would let everyone walk all over him. Your parents have you on a leash, people in school are treating you like the little bitch that you are, you can't keep a man—how does it feel Loki, to know your ex has boned just about everyone except you? Though I must say you never sleeping with Stark has kept up his libido for everyone else."

"Well I'm so glad Stark's emotional, mental, and physical disregard for my personal being is pleasing someone."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. Now you can give your v-card to someone else!" Amora looks into the rearview mirror, fluffs her hair and pops her lips together, not bothering to look back towards him. "Get out of my car, you're making me later than I already am." Loki sighs and steps out of the car, back into the torrential downpour of rain; he slams the door for good measure. She rolls down her window, leaning towards him as if she had something important to say. "Hey, there's a party in the city this weekend…you should come. You can bring your _gal pal_."

Loki shoves his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I would, except Darcy has a condition where she can't be around _total bitches_." Amora rolls her eyes and mouths 'whatever'; she skids her wheels against the asphalt, splashing water up onto him as she speeds out of the parking lot. "Bitch," he mumbles. He spits his cigarette to the ground and crushes it.

* * *

"Where were you all morning? I was getting worried." Darcy hands Loki half her sandwich. He picks at it, slowly, pulling out a majority of the meat and setting it in front of her. She rolls her eyes.

Steve joins them at their table, looking Loki over and giving him a small smile.

"Doesn't matter—why are we all in our study halls again?"

"Part of the cafeteria got a leak and they don't want anyone getting _sick_—and yet Ms. Hill still made us go outside for P.E.…stupid bitch…" Darcy grumbles, stuffing Loki's unwanted meat into her sandwich. "Is there a point to physical education other than pinning students against one another?"

Loki snorts. "I'm sure it's just to make you run."

"Aren't you cold?" Steve furrows his brow. Loki was shivering slightly but his body was so accustomed to low temperatures that they usually didn't bother him. In short, yes, Loki was cold, but he had no intentions of admitting such a thing. He still didn't entirely trust Steve; sure, Rogers had Darcy under his spell but Loki wasn't going to be pulled in that easily. Steve was easy to talk to, respected Loki's privacy either silently or with a nod when Loki told him otherwise, and was unusually polite for someone their age—Thor being the exception—but his charms weren't going to make Loki roll over for him and do whatever it was Steve wanted him to do. But that was just the thing, he had no idea what Steve wanted from him. It was too unusual for someone of Steve's social hierarchy to take an interest in him and Loki was too paranoid of a person to expect nothing but the worst from someone like Steve Rogers; he knew that screaming bloody murder was always an option if he needed Thor to handle the situation if it got out of hand…at the same time Thor and Steve had been friends for as long as he and Darcy had and it felt wrong to even think about his stupid brother having to lose a friendship just because of him. Loki disregards Steve's question with a shrug, nibbling his sandwich slowly.

The other students in the room murmur quietly amongst themselves. Darcy chugs down her soda and coughs. "Hey, are you going to help me with my Chemistry paper this weekend?"

"Yeah, sure, I'm not doing anything."

"What about you, Steve? Wanna come over to work on my Chemistry paper?" she grins.

Steve smiles lightly, Loki making a face at her. "I don't think you should invite me to other people's houses, Darcy—besides I finished my paper last night."

She stares at him.

"But it's not due until Monday-" Loki elbows her.

Steve shrugs, smiling. "I know…but I have the game on Friday and I like having the weekend to relax without any school work to stress about."

"Wow…that sounds really boring."

"Darcy-"

"What? If he does school work during the week then he doesn't need to come do it with us during the weekend!" She finishes her sandwich, Loki handing her the remainder of his. "And he can't sneak out to party during the week because he's doing stupid homework. How are you supposed to keep a girlfriend if she wants to go out during the week but you're busy and she works weekends? Huh?"

"Subtlety is not your strong suit, Darcy."

"I'm thankful for your—uhh—_concern_, Darcy, but I have practice during the week right now anyways. When I get home I don't want to do anything so getting homework out of the way is just easier I guess…" Steve laughs shyly, a small blush forming over his nose. "Besides I'm not seeing anyone right now so I don't think I have anything to worry about."

"Hmm…it still sounds dumb."

"At least now he won't have to stuff his face all weekend worrying about the paper he doesn't want to write." Loki's body involuntarily trembles all over; he rubs his arms.

Darcy punches him. "Shut up! And take that sweater off, it's soaked. Why don't you just change into your gym clothes? Since, you know, you weren't _here_ this morning." She collects the trash from her late lunch and lowers her voice to Loki. "I'm running to the bathroom so…_you know_…make with the guy talk or whatever. Chop-chop." Darcy stands, dumping her trash and making her way towards the door.

Loki grumbles to himself. When he said he had no idea how to "guy talk" there was no other way of putting it. It was simply that: _he didn't know how to guy talk_. He didn't hang out with a lot of guys…he didn't consider himself masculine though he was a man. Loki didn't gender identify; he knew he was a male but he would wear feminine clothes or do feminine things as well as masculine. Of course this made it harder for him to make friends with guys—not that his personality, emotional walls, and general demeanor didn't do that already.

Talking Darcy up wasn't exactly an easy task on its own. She wasn't the typical delicate blonde most high school boys took an interest in. Loki sighs and looks around. Carol Danvers was up and walking around the room. He watches her stop and flick her hair back; she seemed to be showing interest in Bucky Barnes, which apparently Darcy was right about. But that didn't make sense…because now she was approaching Steve.

"Hi, Steve," she smiles.

He looks up from his sketchbook. "Oh, hey, Carol. How are you?"

"I'm good…hey, listen-" Steve raises his brow, "-I've been having some trouble in Coulson's class and, well, I was wondering…if I could maybe call you sometime to get some help with the homework or studying or something?"

"Umm…yeah, sure," he digs his phone out of his pocket and holds it out to her. "Just put your number in and how about I give you a call tonight after practice? We can go over the last test if you'd like?"

Carol's eyes light up. "That sounds great!" She adds her number to his phone and hands it back to him. "Call me later then!" She gives him a wave and walks back towards her friends.

Loki watches her go, getting a better read on her than he could on Steve who was pretending not to watch him as usual. Carol waves to Bucky Barnes as she passes him and yet he didn't seem to acknowledge her like she wanted since her body language changed as she made it to her friends. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on but Darcy had definitely caught on to Carol Danvers affections towards James "Bucky" Barnes.

Steve speaks up. "How have you been? Thor told me about what happened on Sunday-"

"He would…" Loki grumbles, slicking his hair back. "I don't need everyone to check up on me, okay? I went for a walk in the rain, who cares?"

"Well…" Steve pulls his jacket out of his bag and holds it out to Loki. "I'll trade you."

"I don't-"

"You have to wait for Thor until practice is over anyways…you'll get sick just sitting in the rain in clothes that are already wet. Take it, really, I won't wear it the rest of the day anyways."

Loki hesitates. He looks around but no one seemed to be paying them much mind anymore and reaches out to take the jacket. He pulls his sweater up and over his head, folding it neatly before placing it in his bag; he pulls the jacket on. It certainly made him feel better to be out of that sweater however Steve was a lot larger than he was. The jacket felt like he was in a tent. At least his sweater clung to his arms; the jacket made him feel like he was exposed. But it did smell nice…though it smelled like Steve. Why that was a good thing Loki wasn't really sure…

"Thanks…"

Steve smiles at him and goes back to his sketchbook. Loki looks at the door anxiously; Darcy was most likely taking her sweet time, expecting Loki and Steve to be delving into a conversation about her which quite frankly was never going to happen as far as Loki was concerned. He wasn't very good at talking about girls and he didn't exactly consider her a girl to begin with; she was his best friend, and sometimes he forgot Darcy was a girl that was interested in boys.

Loki clears his throat. "So, umm…not…dating…anyone?"

The curious look Steve gave him nearly made Loki turn red. This was why he didn't want to agree in the first place…he didn't want Steve to get the idea that _he_ was interested in him.

"No…not that I know of." Steve smiles. "Why do you ask?"

He shakes his head, chewing his lip. "No reason…" Loki taps his finger on the table and Steve continues to sketch. "You think Carol likes you?"

Steve looks over towards Carol and her friends. He shrugs. "I never thought about it. I guess she has been talking to me a lot more but when you're friends with Natasha you sort of learn that when a girl talks to you it isn't always because she wants a date." Steve pauses laughing lightly. "Not that I usually think that…I'm not very good about picking up signals girls send out…"

Loki snorts; that was for sure. If he was he'd be either dating or rejecting Darcy by now. "Yeah…well you know…Darcy's kind of the same. Her and Natasha get along pretty well too." He had to keep talking about Darcy somehow, keep it going…Steve was still sketching but paying attention which made Loki feel a bit more at ease talking this way. "So Darcy—Darcy's personality gets tolerable after a while but she's still obnoxious most of the time." He could feel her mentally smacking him.

"I don't know she's not so bad." Steve glances at him with a smile. "She is very uhh…forceful, I suppose."

"You get used to it."

He chuckles. "Yes, I suppose I will. I mean, we have gotten to know one another and even more now that you're umm…more comfortable around me." Steve smiles wider when Darcy walks back in the room. "I want us to be better friends though, I really enjoy her company. I'm sure I'll never be as close to her as you are but I hope enough that we'll keep in touch after graduation, you know?"

Loki nods. Darcy sits back down next to him, Steve packing up his sketchbook as the bell rings for the next class. The three of them stand and Darcy glances to Loki, questioning whether or not he'd done as she asked, whether or not she may have a chance and his instinct was to shrug.

But only his instinct.

Instead he gave her a small nod, saying that all was well, lying to her face about Steve's intentions because Steve's good intentions were nowhere near Darcy's. He was interested in friendship and Loki was rather certain that was all he was interested in. It was a harmless little lie. For all Darcy knew, he would keep on pushing Steve into the direction she wanted. He could lie like he always did to get out of situations he wasn't fond of and just about everything else but…lying to Darcy…it wasn't something he usually did. Lying to Darcy was something he did when he didn't want her to know how he was really feeling; lying to her about something that actually meant a lot to her, well, he knew it was wrong. But he knew that no matter what he did Steve wasn't going to show an interest in her. Loki couldn't get a clear read on him on a great many things, including any thought that regarded himself, but he did know this: Steve had no romantic interest in Darcy whatsoever.

And Loki wasn't sure he ever would.


	13. Chapter 13

**Don't worry, Ch. 14 is right behind this, just like I promised. And I'd hate to leave you on this cliffhanger...my birthday was Friday which is why these two did take a little longer than I had planned but nevertheless here they are. :)**

**Seriously though guys I never expected this story to get so much attention so thank you for all the reviews and comments and everything. *kisses all around***

**Disclaimer: Do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Mmm...language. And a word I don't normally use but I knew it would ignite the fire I needed.**

**Comments and critiques are always welcomed! :D**

* * *

"Hey, ladies, either you keep a steady pace or you do squats, got it? Everhart, I swear to God, if you don't get off that phone I'll make sure your coach puts you on the bottom of the pyramid next year, got it? Now get off the PHONE!" Ms. Hill blows her whistle shrilly, Christine Everhart making a sour face and stuffing her phone back into her bra.

Loki and Darcy both laugh to themselves, jogging slow enough that neither Darcy nor Ms. Hill would complain. Amazingly the school had it set up that everyone in their class had lunch together and also gym together. This of course had its ups and downs; the main downside being that everyone in their class was together and somehow Ms. Hill kept control of all of them. Boys usually played football or soccer and girls preferred to walk and talk on the track with the obvious exceptions of course. Loki preferred to jog rather than roll around in the mud like an animal and Darcy, well, she was unusually competitive which is why she rarely lost a debate match (and was captain). It was to everyone else's best interest that she didn't join in the physical activities. If they had a choice, Loki would be forced to sit with her on the bleachers while Darcy admired all the guys wrestling one another…mainly Steve.

They do another loop around the track, both starting to feel the ache in their legs.

"Okay, so I'm coming over Saturday night so we can work on my paper, right?"

"Why night?"

Darcy sighs. "Well…I have an away game on Friday, I sleep all day Saturday, and I'm not getting up early just to work on a fucking Chemistry paper." Loki nonchalantly agrees. She stops jogging, taking her time as she pulls up her hair and letting Christine's gaggle of girls pass them by. "Look—I'm going to make this really clear—if I come over on Saturday and find you strung out in your room on some shit I'm punching you out and not talking to you for a week, okay?"

"Yes-"

"I'm serious, alright? I'm tired of dealing with you like that…"

"Okay, yes, I get it," he snaps, picking up his pace. Darcy rolls her eyes and attempts to keep up with him. They continue to walk in silence; Loki could already feel the guilt building in his stomach and she was just making it worse. He turns his attention towards the field to watch Steve and his friends goof off. Loki understood Darcy's attraction he just couldn't bring himself to push together two people that obviously weren't meant to be…he already knew what rejection felt like, he'd been dealing with it his entire life.

Loki glances towards Darcy when she clears her throat. She quickens her pace to get next to him and takes his hand. "Loki…I wasn't trying to make you feel like some little kid, okay, I'm not your parents…"

He nods, slowing down a bit. "I know."

"No you don't, okay, you-" she takes a deep breath, squeezing his hand. "I wasn't there, okay? I wasn't watching you…you could have left with someone or gotten hurt when you fell—look, I'm not going to lecture you about any of this, I promised myself I wouldn't do that and I've never passed any judgment on what you do despite my personal opinions…but when I stay up all night with you and you're out of it like that…" Darcy shakes her head. It was unusual for Darcy to be concerned enough to talk to him about such matters; Loki knew he had a problem he just didn't address it like he knew he should. But he understood that she was upset and he didn't usually coke out in public like he did at the party. "I actually have to work on my paper, so please? Save any alcohol until I get to your place and if you really need a boost…we'll handle it then, it doesn't matter."

Loki gives her hand a squeeze. He pecks her cheek and grins, taking off ahead of her. She yells swears at him having to run to catch up while he laughs. A young blonde walks around the bleachers onto the track, passing Loki and Darcy as they jog by. She was younger with pale blonde hair and dressed a lot like a classy librarian. The girl gives Darcy a small smile—Loki recognized her from the debate matches he went to. Ms. Hill's whistle goes off and everyone stops what they're doing.

"Alright everyone simmer down…hold the balls!" A majority of the guys snicker to themselves, the girl shyly approaching Ms. Hill. "What can I do for you, Ms. Stacy?"

"Well…umm…"

They turn away from the students, everyone taking pleasure in their short break. Darcy pops another candy in her mouth. Loki looks around; Jane Foster had walked over to talk to Thor, his friends teasing him; Barton, Barnes, Storm, and Osborn were all gathered around Natasha who was showing off her acrobatic skills by balancing on the soccer ball with just her toe; Christine and her "friends" were all chattering amongst themselves, phones in hand. He smiles when Steve waves to him, Loki giving him a small wave in return. Barton and his friends all laugh when Clint balances on the ball.

"Boys are so stupid and yet we crave their money, dicks, and attention to keep us satisfied." Darcy shifts the candy around in her mouth. "I wonder what it was like to fall in love and get married before having sex…I mean…if the sex is lousy then what do you do?"

"I think most women take on lesbian lovers."

"No, that's when they're in college…"

Natasha walks up to them and pops her gum. "Hey, Darcy…" she smiles and nods at Loki. "What are you writing your Chem paper on? I haven't been able to start mine yet."

"Yeah, I uhh—I've been too lazy to write mine so I don't know yet."

She nods. "Totally understand. If I'm not spending time with Clint, I'm spending time with Bucky, and if I have free time it's because I'm working. I'm lucky I'm a good multitasker otherwise I'd be failing most of my classes right now."

Loki snorts. "Having two boyfriends must be _infuriating_." Natasha and Darcy both laugh.

There's a deafening pop that echoes throughout the field, five boys jumping back from the now useless soccer ball. All five of their faces pale as Ms. Hill approaches them slowly, picking up the remains of the ball; she observes it and takes a deep breath. Everyone on the track and field was deathly silent. She narrows her eyes and puts the whistle to her lips blowing it shrilly, all five of the boys wincing. "You have thirty seconds—who did it?" All five look at one another frantically. "Twenty-seven…twenty-six…twenty-five…twenty-four…" Two hands raise, Ms. Hill giving them a mocking smile. "Storm! Barton! My office, let's go…" She motions for them to go ahead, Natasha glaring daggers at Clint as he walks by giving her a bashful smile. "Gwen, I'll be right back. Everyone else! Keep acting like you're doing something or you'll be late to your next class doing squats! Gentlemen…we'll be discussing how you're going to be paying back the school for that ball you just popped…"

The remaining three boys break out into a fit of laughter, shoving at one another; Natasha stalks up to them and punches Bucky in the stomach, rolling her eyes as he slinks after her. Everyone pulls out their cell phones, sitting on the track, bleachers, grass…simply taking advantage of the fact that Ms. Hill wasn't hovering over them like a hawk.

"Well…at least Natasha will get her paper done." Darcy sits down on the bleachers, Loki leaning against the railing in front of her. He pulls a carton of cigarettes out of the elastic of his shorts and lights one up.

"I think that defeats the purpose of physical education," Steve grins, hopping up to lean over the other side of the railing. Loki smirks at him and blows a smoke ring into the air. "Show off."

"Always."

Loki kicks playfully at Darcy, pulling himself up onto the railing. "Don't you smoke, Steve? Relieve some stress?"

"You know normal boys relieve stress in a _different way_." Darcy makes a stroking motion with her fist.

Steve's cheeks redden just faintly, Loki and Darcy making faces at one another. "I can't smoke; I had chronic bronchitis as a kid and uhh…that sort of developed into asthma. Don't usually get attacks but I still carry an inhaler in my backpack, just in case."

"I'll keep that in mind," Loki smiles, taking care to exhale away from Steve.

Darcy tosses her hair back and fluffs her breasts, crossing her legs and fixing her shorts; Loki believed that women subconsciously flirted with their bodies not really to attract attention but simply admiring their own physique in a way. Darcy was notorious for this. He didn't really blame her though…after running for twenty minutes in nothing but an everyday bra he was sure her breasts were starting to bother her. One of the many physical features Loki was happy to let women keep for themselves. She continues to fuss with her hair, Loki starting to become irritated himself. "If you come here I'll braid it for you." Darcy opens her mouth to argue her moving but he interrupts. "I'm quite content right where I am. Either you come here or your hair stays atrocious."

"If you get ash in my hair again…"

Loki smirks, settling her back against his knees and balancing the cigarette between his lips. "Oh, shut up. It will never be as bad as the time I threw up down the front of you."

She laughs. "Oh God…that was literally the worst night of my life…" Darcy looks at Steve, smirking. "I hope you never have to go through something like that."

"I dunno…Thor threw up in my lap once…that was pretty gross."

"Oh I remember that!" Loki crisscrosses Darcy's hair nimbly, pulling it tight. He pauses to exhale. "His sixteenth birthday, right? He was just sort of sitting there, smiling like an idiot-"

"And he just leaned over and puked _everywhere_…" Steve and Loki both laugh; Loki ties Darcy's hair in place and flicks his cigarette into the gravel. His eyes spark green while he laughs, glancing at Steve who smiles to himself. Darcy pinches Loki's thigh and gives him a look. He rolls his eyes. Loki wasn't flirting—she should know that—what interest would he have in Steve? Honestly, what would he do with him? The guy wasn't going to get wasted with him; it wasn't like they could light up a joint or snort coke of each other's bodies. Steve wasn't a thrill chaser and therefore Loki had no use for him…and he was just too nice. Loki wouldn't feel right corrupting someone like him into doing what he wanted especially since Steve was Thor's friend.

He'd rather jump off a bridge.

Darcy places herself between the two of them starting to converse away with Steve about Coulson's history class. Loki looks back towards the field to give Darcy her moment. Natasha had Bucky in a headlock while he was attempting to fight her off; Christine and her gaggle of girls were all chattering about the homecoming dance that was at the end of the month; Thor…Thor was with Jane; he and his friends were playing some game that seemed to be an excuse for Thor to be carrying and swinging her around. He could tell from that dorky smile that Thor was enjoying any excuse to touch Jane and that usually meant he liked her. Loki nudges Darcy with his foot and motions towards the two of them. "So…are they a thing yet or what?" Both Steve and Darcy turn to look.

"Wow. Jane works fast."

"He hasn't asked her out or anything…at least not that I know of."

Loki shrugs and turns away. He didn't really care. Darcy continues to watch them, smiling to herself. "They'd be so cute together, you know? It would be so perfect—like a mouse and a lion being all cutesy and lovey all the time-"

"You don't know a lot about animals, do you, Darcy?"

"Shut up." He grins, tugging on her ear. She swats him away. "So, Steve, you and Loki got to sneak out for lunch, maybe sometime we could do the same…" Loki snorts and shakes his head.

Gwen Stacy catches his eye. They share a mutual smile, Gwen looking back down at her phone. She had cherub-like features, very chubby cheeks and a bright smile, a bit like Darcy but she was paler with freckles dancing across her nose. Pretty—in a child-like sort of way—and one of the few girls at school that didn't stare at Loki like he'd grown a second head. It wasn't that Loki liked her it was just that she was one of the few that didn't believe all of the rumors going around. Most of the school still thought he'd gotten expelled for stabbing and killing a teacher—which was ridiculous.

"How you doin', Gwen?" Harry Osborn approaches her, brushing his hair to the side.

She looks up and gives him a small smile, looking back down at her phone. "Hello, Harry." He makes a face obviously disappointed that she didn't acknowledge him the way he wanted. Harry settles himself right next to her, draping an arm over her shoulders and looking down at her phone. She shifts uncomfortably; Gwen finally scowls at him, picking up his arm and placing it back where it belonged.

"What? Don't like me anymore?"

"I'm just…not in the mood, Harry." She keeps her head down; a smart move. But Harry keeps pushing. He leans closer to her but she turns away. Gwen shifts away, turning her body just slightly to face away from him; Harry leans into her to look over her shoulder. She sighs, shooting him a look.

"So how about me and you go catch a movie?"

"No, thanks."

Harry grins, stretching his arms out and crossing them behind his head. "Hey, come on-"

"I said no." She pushes him away to stand and starts walking down the stairs. "I'm going to go find Ms. Hill." Gwen walks quickly towards the building, keeping her head down.

Loki and Darcy snicker to themselves, keeping their heads low. Apparently Harry had shown an interest in Gwen during the party at Christine's house but she'd turned him down for a freshmen—Loki had forgotten the boy's name, it started with a "P". Because of the debate team Gwen and Darcy were rather friendly; Darcy had a way of charming people she liked into liking her and Gwen looked up to her in a weird sort of way…weird for Loki because Darcy was never someone he would recommend for a role model in any lifetime…but Darcy said it was because she had an immense amount of confidence in everything she did and Gwen tried to reflect that personality. And she was tight with Dr. Banner and Jane who could both get them into the science labs after school.

Harry stands, starting to follow her. "Seriously, Gwen? You're choosing him, the guys a stuck up little prick-" Darcy moves in front of him holding her hand up for him to stop.

"Yeah…" she mock laughs, shaking her head. "No. Not gonna happen."

He snorts; Harry wipes his face and laughs dryly, grinning. "What's up, Lewis? Jealous much?" Darcy rolls her eyes. They both cross their arms, glaring at one another. Steve shifts uncomfortably but Loki tells him not to move; Darcy didn't like being "rescued". Harry narrows his eyes, looking from Darcy to the direction Gwen went and to Darcy again, laughing and scratching his nose. "Oh, I get it…you're doing the whole mama bear act, right? It's cute."

"And you're doing the whole 'desperate asshole can't get over that pretty girl won't go out with him' act, right? Because wow do girls find that attractive."

"Awww c'mon, Darcy…I thought we were friends."

She blinks, staring at him. "You egged my car."

Harry laughs and smiles, shaking his finger at her. "No, no…I was egging the faggot that was with you. Your car was just an accident, I swear." He raises his hand with a smirk. Steve scowls and shifts to get down but Loki gives him a look shaking his head.

"It's my cousin's car. And it took two fucking hours to get that egg out of his hair; do you know what it's like to get someone with OCD to sit still while he's freaking out about the yolk sliding down his face? Because I don't remember you calling me up to offer your assistance."

"I'm _so_ sorry that my harmless little prank messed up the queer's hair care products. Truly." He places his hands over his heart. "Now…are you going to ask me out, or am I wasting my time?"

"Wasting your time." Darcy moves and Harry sticks out his arm, blocking her way. "Move the arm or it's coming off."

He snorts, brushing his hair back. "Yeah? Well maybe I'm doing to a favor, Lewis, giving you some time to think this over. I give you a chance and you turn me down? Maybe your fat ass should realize that she should take what she can get and be happy about it. You know, unless you want to spend the rest of your life as some faggot's hag."

Steve had had enough; he jumps down from the railing to make his way up to them. Loki hops down from his rail as well but stays where he is. Darcy could handle herself and she was just as stubborn as he was she'd get mad if he stepped in.

Darcy flips her braid over her shoulder, her eyes starting to burn; she puts her hands on her hips and takes her usual fighting stance. "Let's get something straight—I am not some twenty dollar hooker that your daddy bought to play with your wee-wee. I have standards, just like all those stick figures that walk the red carpet in Milan, but at least my standards let me appreciate a guy who buys me a bacon cheeseburger and large fry. Since you just proved that the most you're going to let me eat is a fucking rice cake twice a day then why should I even bother? You know maybe you don't realize that guys like you who think you're hot shit in high school get a good kick in the nuts when you get out in the real world. You're going to wish you got a girl like me but I'm going to let you stick with the controlling psychotic mess you end up marrying. Now maybe you should run home like a little bitch and get daddy to pay off some whore so you can have your two minutes of bliss while I go out and find myself a real man who's going to get off just because I do." She places a hand on his chest and pushes him back slightly. "_Please_ get out of my way."

Harry slaps her hand off of him with a scowl, sneering at her. "Some guys actually like the fat ass, Lewis. It's a shame you're too much of a self-righteous _cunt_." Steve had to grab Darcy's arms to keep her from bludgeoning Harry into the bleachers but she was beat to it…to the shock of all three of them. When Harry Osborn turned around—a smug look on his face—Loki's fist made contact with his jaw and he hit the ground.


	14. Chapter 14

**Not gonna lie, I went a little overboard. Lol. This is the longest (and may stay the longest) chapter I've written so far but I...I don't know I got really into it. Sorry for the delay, this wasn't supposed to be this long. Enjoy though, I mean...I may not update for a little while now.**

**Yeah...I went like 2000 words overboard. HAVE FUN GUYS! :D**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Language and a little violence**

**Comments/critiques are welcome!**

* * *

Steve watches as something inside Loki snaps.

Even after everything went down, there was much speculation as to whether or not Loki Laufeyson was even capable of punching out someone…even Harry Osborn. Both Darcy and Steve stood there partially in shock because not even they believed it; Darcy couldn't remember seeing Loki become physically violent with anyone other than Thor, it just wasn't something Loki did he'd always had such control over his emotions and anger usually resulted in a tantrum. But Loki stood there over Harry who spit some blood onto the metal base of the bleachers. Not even Steve was sure what he was looking at; Loki had gone almost a month being shoved, pushed, pulled, harassed, mocked and not a word was uttered from his mouth; he'd kept his head high and didn't let it get him down. Even after the party he sucked it up and tried to move on…Steve figured he could only take so much, everyone has a breaking point. This wasn't even directed at Loki though.

Harry gets to his feet. He wipes the blood from his mouth and glares at Loki, who was watching him calmly. In an unnerving way. Steve was used to Loki's face to have a calm serenity but his eyes were dark and clouded over and the calmness of his features was uneasy. They'd become jagged and tense; a wire had obviously come loose.

"Say it again." Loki sneers through his teeth, inches away from Harry's face. "Call her that again."

He smirks and licks the blood off his lip. Harry wipes his nose with his hand, laughing to himself and looking Loki in the face. "Your hag's a cunt."

The second hit didn't catch him as off guard. Harry wipes his mouth. People begin to take notice, the girls standing from their spot on the track and whispering amongst themselves as they make their way over towards the bleachers. Steve didn't know what to do; Loki had told him he wasn't allowed to "save" him and from the look on Darcy's face she wasn't sure what to do either. Loki was back in Harry's face, hissing at him.

"Say it again, I dare you, say it to all the girls here. Let's see if you ever get a girlfriend again."

"Back off, you fucking twink." Harry shoves him back but not enough to make him fall.

Darcy growls and moves forward, "Hey-" but Steve holds her arm. He didn't want her to get hit despite his own want to interfere and he would…he just didn't want Loki to hate him for it. "Harry, just back off, okay?"

"Hey, the twink started it. He hit me first."

Loki makes a face at the term. There were things only Darcy was allowed to call him and the worst she used in that context was twinkie. He spits in Harry's face; Harry, disgusted, takes a moment before hitting Loki. Darcy whines. Some of the other students climb up onto the rails and start taking video, a few of them laughing. "Loki, just walk away," Steve orders, scowling at everyone. But Loki didn't hear him. There wasn't much going through his head other than the pounding blood and murmur of voices—he could barely hear his own thoughts—but when he wipes the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand and looks at it his pupils dilate and he grins. _Blood_. He spats it out, looking back up at Harry who was clearly enjoying himself except physically Harry was going to dominate. Loki looks him over, finding every little pinpoint that he needed to make him snap because despite the nagging voice in his head he was enjoying this as well.

"Would daddy be proud of you, Harry? Hmm? Would he congratulate you for using that word?" Harry's mouth twitches. "Does he use that word—_cunt_? Is that what he calls you? Are you his cunt? Because I can't imagine why you'd use such a term to describe Darcy."

Harry picks Loki up by the cuff of his shirt. "Because that's what she is."

"No, that's what she has, not what she is. The proper term to use to describe Darcy is bitch but only I can call her that you _fucking_ moron and the fact that you'd choose one over the other simply suggests how insecure you are with your own manhood and the fact that women today can be just as strong and independent as men if not more. Do you fear strong women, Harry, because I doubt that diving into the female members of the debate team is going to do you any good and I'm sure daddy can tell you that even his most desperate self-conscious secretaries give him a good slap when he uses such an offensive derogatory term such as _cunt_ no matter how much he fucks them over the back of his desk-"

"Shut UP!"

Harry goes for a low shot, punching Loki in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. He lets go of his shirt and Loki slumps down into a seat on the bleachers; he clutches his stomach and glares up at Harry, showing that he wasn't going to be taken down so easily. Most of the students had crowded around the bleachers now, everyone trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. They were pulling out phones and cameras, the guys all jeering and encouraging the fight while the girls gasped and whispered. Darcy had had enough. She pulls away from Steve and jumps off the bleachers, pushing through the growing crowd to make her way towards the football field. Steve catches Loki's eye and gives him a pleading look but Loki just looks away. Once he got started he couldn't stop, his tongue would get the best of him.

Loki gives Harry another once over and furrows his brow. "And what about mommy, Harry? What would mommy say if she heard you use that word?" Some of the girls gasp. Harry hits him again but Loki keeps pressing in. "You think she'd be proud of you? Think she'll brag to everyone about how her baby boy uses the word cunt?" He hits him again, the blood starting to overflow from Loki's mouth.

Natasha places a hand on Steve's shoulder as she comes up the stairs. Her voice is demanding, face clouded over and serious. "Stop it, Loki."

"What a great example you're setting, Harry, as her only son."

"I should say the same to you, faggot." Loki makes a face. "After all, you're setting such a good example for your _baby brother_."

Some of the guys laugh. "Ohhhh shit." Everyone else breaks out into a whisper, anxiously waiting for the fight to get good. Steve watches as every bit of control Loki had left falls away. He stands—slowly—and takes a deep breath, hitting Harry once—twice—three times just below his ribs before Harry gets a good punch in that knocks Loki off his feet. The other students start to egg them on, jeering and encouraging them. Loki starts to push himself up but Harry kicks sharply in the ribs. He yelps; it was the side where Loki's ribcage looked twisted, Steve remembered from art class.

"Knock it off, Harry!" Steve steps partially between them, shoving him away.

Harry shoves Steve aside, Loki's foot shooting up to just barely miss his groin, still making him wince and double over. Loki attempts to scramble to his feet but Harry recovers faster than anticipated and grabs his shirt, pulling him up. He pushes on Loki's face to keep him back when Loki swings an arm at him; his finger encroaches dangerously close to Loki's eye, threatening to gouge it out, and he starts to panic when he can't breathe. Loki claws at Harry's arm, some of the girls starting to cry out. After a desperate conflict with the elastic in his shorts Loki pulls out his lighter and lights it, pressing it against Harry's arm. Harry yells and punches Loki again still holding tight to his shirt though Loki was pulling as hard as he could to get away. The pain in his ribs had jump started his brain back into reality and Loki had had enough fun with his little games he wanted to get away. Steve grabs Harry's arm and tells him to let go but he's ignored, Harry's fist poised for another hit when a massive hand grabs his other arm.

Thor glares daggers into Harry Osborn.

Darcy takes Steve's hand and pulls him back slightly, Natasha taking a step back as well, everyone suddenly filled with the anxiety of Thor going on a complete rampage.

"Let him go, Osborn." Thor growls. He was surprisingly calm which was a whole lot scarier than Thor maiming Harry's face. Harry narrows his eyes with a sneer, challenging him. "Let him go or I'll _make_ you let him go." Still no response from Harry. Thor sighs and lets go of his arm; he pushes himself between them and swiftly raises his elbow, bringing it down on the arm that was holding Loki. Some of the girls scream, covering their eyes; he didn't break it though, Thor was controlling himself well, he'd only broken Harry's grip who was howling and gripping his elbow. Thor pulls Loki up by his upper arm, scowling at him when a shrill whistle goes off.

Ms. Hill sternly narrows her eyes on the three of them, pointing them out and motioning for them to follow. "You three—let's go. _Now_."

* * *

"You're setting very poor examples of yourselves, gentlemen." Principle Fury leans onto his desk, narrowing his eye. He only had one, which was slightly unnerving for a school principal, but from what the students had heard, he'd lost it during his time in the military.

Loki, Thor, and Harry were all sitting in his office with their respective guardians sitting just behind them; Frigga, Thor and Loki's mother, and a smartly dressed man that looked nothing like Harry Osborn's father; Loki assumed it was the man that kept the house in order, Harry had always bragged about having help. Both had been waiting in the office when they all three of them reported and Frigga gave both her boys the coldest look either of them had seen in a long time. Ms. Hill was standing in front of the closed door, arms crossed and just as serious as ever. Thor was the only one who didn't look like he'd been in a fight. They'd been allowed to shower and change but all three were thoroughly embarrassed since Ms. Hill stood in the boy's locker room to make sure they didn't run or break out in another fight. Loki and Harry both looked battered, Harry's arm in a sling for his sprained elbow. Thor was staring calmly at the top of Fury's desk, arms crossed; Harry and Loki were both scowling and staring in opposite directions.

"Mr. Odinson, since you were not an instigator in this conflict you're lucky that it won't be going on your record; therefore it won't ruin any scholarships that you may have in the future. You will however not be permitted to play for the remainder of the season-"

"But, sir, I was pulling these two off each other, there was murder in their eyes-"

Fury holds up a hand to silence him, Frigga rubbing his shoulder to calm him down. "You're lucky you didn't break Mr. Osborn's arm, Mr. Odinson, I'm being very lenient. I could suspend you from the team altogether but your coach practically begged for me to keep you on for both the team's sake and your own. You will play again next year."

"But sir-"

"Or would you rather I suspend you from all school activities for the remainder of the year? This means clubs, activity groups, sports teams, sporting events, and, yes of course, homecoming and prom; or would you rather I allow you the pleasure of taking some fine little lady to the dance coming up?" Thor goes silent, Frigga whispering Swedish into his ear to soothe him. "Very good. Now…Mr. Osborn…you've been in my office _multiple_ times already this year, perhaps you have something you'd like to say in your defense?" Harry wipes his nose with the back of his free hand. "No? Because you and Mr. Laufeyson have been having conflicts since day one of his reinstatement, and since then you have been in and out of my office more than I have."

Harry snorts and re-crosses his legs. "Hey, he started it, okay?" He shoots a look in Loki's direction and turns away to scowl at the floor.

"That being as it may…it was brought to my attention that you have been using inappropriate derogatory terms towards some of the other students including Mr. Laufeyson. Therefore I have decided that you are to be removed from all extracurricular activities provided by the school, including sports teams and you will not be allowed to rejoin until the next school year-"

He stands. "No way! That's bullshit!" He turns to the man sitting behind him. "Bernard-"

"Sit down, Harry," Ms. Hill snaps.

"He hit me first!" Harry points a finger at Loki. "And where the hell is Lewis in all this, she's the one who-"

"_Sit down_, Mr. Osborn, I was not finished."

"NO! Not until that faggot gets what's coming to him!"

Frigga lets out a small whimper.

"_THAT kind of attitude and IMPROPRIETY is why I'm taking the actions I am taking_!" Fury yells. "His _mother_ is sitting right here—now you _sit your ass_ down I am not finished." Ms. Hill grabs Harry's shoulders and pushes him back down in his seat. Fury clears his throat, taking a deep breath. "You will also be suspended from school property for the next five days and—yes—that includes the football game on Friday. And before you argue you should be grateful I'm not taking away the pleasure of the school dances this year for you either _and_ that Mrs. Odinson here isn't filing any kind of restraining order on your person."

"Principal Fury, I need those extracurriculars to make it into NYU-"

"Well then you better find some activities outside of school. Now get out." Harry punches the wall as he stands, the man accompanying him reaching out in support but Harry smacks him away; Ms. Hill closes the door behind them.

Fury takes another deep breath. He rubs his eye and looks up at Loki, folding his hands together. "Mr. Laufeyson…I'm just not sure what to do with you…" He opens what Loki assumed to be his file, flipping through it. "You don't turn in your work, you don't show up for class…I've gotten a few young ladies in here complaining about your presence in the girls' lavatory-" Thor starts to snicker and Frigga smacks him in the back of the head, "-but I'll let that last one slide—can't seem to stay out of trouble, can you?" Loki doesn't answer. "I ensured your family that you would be safe here at school but you're going to make it very difficult to keep that promise if you go around picking fights. But this is the last time isn't it?" He pauses. "Mr. Laufeyson."

"_Loki_." Frigga hisses at him.

Loki sighs, lifting his head slightly to look just past Principle Fury. "Sir?"

"This will be the last time I hear about any trouble involving your person, I trust?"

He rolls his eyes. "Yes…_sir_."

"Very good." Fury sets Loki's lighter and cigarette pack on his desk and quirks a brow, Loki grumbling to himself. Frigga mutters his name disapprovingly. "Now…I'm going to pretend that because you haven't been in school for some time you forgot about our policy on drugs _and_ I'm going to pretend that you didn't use this lighter here on Mr. Osborn's person because according to some of the other students that it was used in self-defense. However…you did instigate this little spat between Mr. Osborn and yourself therefore you will be suspended from school property for five days and will not be permitted to take any extracurricular activities for the remainder of the year. And this will be the _last_ time you're in my office this year, Mr. Laufeyson, do I make myself clear?"

* * *

"Fighting. Of all the things you could get in trouble for, it's fighting." Frigga looks at Loki through the rear view mirror with a scowl. She'd been scowling at him since she'd gotten to the school. "And we've already talked about you skipping classes, Loki, do we need to have this talk again?" He shrugs. It took a lot to make her mad; when it came to their family the three men were the ones with the tempers—Frigga usually cried about everything Loki did to 'shame their family name' but of course once Loki gets _Thor_ involved she goes off. Typical. "You know you could've gotten your brother into serious trouble? Thor loves football, it's the only thing keeping him out of trouble but you saw to that, didn't you?"

"Mum-"

"Oh, don't 'mum' me, young man, I'm just as upset with you." She takes a deep breath, hands tightening around the steering wheel. "Fighting… How could you do something so _stupid_? Don't think that either of you are going to the game this weekend, you're both grounded. And you've lost car privileges until I decide to give them back. And—_Loki_—we're putting off getting your permit until you're sixteen because I've had just about enough of you…I don't know what to do anymore! We've been trying so hard to keep you from getting harassed in school what would make you think fighting was a good idea?"

Loki glares out the window, refusing to speak. He knew Thor would just get aggressive if he started talking back to Frigga and the one side of his face felt swollen enough. Thor grumbles, turning his head to her. "Mum, I told Steven he could stay with us this weekend."

Frigga sighs. "No matter how much I love Steven you're just going to have to tell him that he can't come over, I'm in no mood to entertain." They turn into their neighborhood and she starts grumbling to herself. "We don't enforce your curfew, we let you and Darcy go into the city, we let you and Thor drink during the holidays…" she glares at him through the mirror. "You wanted to change your surname and we let you do that. You know, I argued with your father for months after letting you take a _year_ off of school and this is how you repay me…"

"Your father is not going to hear a word of this, understand? He would skin you alive, especially you, Thor, you could have seriously hurt that other boy…Loki you're to stay in your room during your suspension, no Darcy, no other friends, you're to keep your music at a civil level, and I will be checking your school work because I can't believe you're failing all of your classes for not doing your work. If your father asks about what happened to your face you and Thor were roughhousing, got it?" Frigga watches Loki through the mirror. "Loki. Are you listening to me?" He ignores her. She pulls around the driveway and parks the car, turning to face him. "Do you know why I'm upset? That other boy could've gotten hurt…_you_ could've gotten hurt. _Again_." He doesn't answer. "Loki." Nothing. "_Loki_-" He undoes his seatbelt and grabs his bag, opening the door. Frigga gets out after him, catching him before he gets in the house. "And don't think you're not in trouble for the cigarettes either-"

"God, it was just a pack of Camel!" Loki snaps, pulling his arm away from her. "It's not like I was blazing up in the bathroom. What's next, you want to search my room for drugs? Because you're not going to find any, I only have the cigarettes for stress!" He storms into the house, kicking off his shoes and taking care to knock some of the jackets off the coatrack by the door. Frigga walks in behind him as Loki goes into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge. Thor follows them calmly, taking care to put the shoes in the basket by the door and picking up all of the jackets.

"Loki—you have medicine to help you with your anxiety and stress. They help you sleep, they even you out, but you don't take them!"

"Oh, yes, you'd like that wouldn't you? Sedate me so I'm less trouble for you…"

"It's not sedation—Loki, we're just trying to do what's best for you!" He scoffs, taking his soda and walking towards the stairs. Loki was starting to get worked up. Every little thing that happened to him, his family turned it around to make it his fault. She catches his arm. "Baby…I'm at my wits end! You're not taking your classes seriously, you come home with fresh bruises everyday…but you won't talk to me! You won't even talk to Thor!" Loki rolls his eyes. "I knew…that putting you back in school was going to be rough and I knew…I knew it was going to make you resent me but if something's going on, I need for you to talk to me. Sif showed me those—videos online and I just—I don't know…" She whimpers, her hand slowly moving down his arm to take his hand. "Do you hate me? Is that why you're doing this?"

Loki jerks his arm away from hers, his scowl slowly turning into the sneer he was trying so hard to contain. "You know…maybe you should point your misguided sense of analyzing towards yourself every once and a while and you'd be able to answer half the _fucking_ questions you ask me because believe it or not half the things I do aren't to victimize you!" He'd let some of the tears he'd been struggling to hold back run down his face. "And you know maybe if you didn't think that I hated you so much _I WOULDN'T FUCKING HATE YOU_!" Loki screams at her storming up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door. Frigga covers her face; she wasn't crying, yet, but her shoulders were starting to tremble.

Thor sighs and approaches her slowly, touching her shoulder. "Mum-" She uncovers her face and shakes her head, pushing him off.

"No, no…just—go to your room. I'm done." Thor makes a face, reaching out for her again. "GO." He shamefully walks upstairs, closing his door behind him with a soft click; Frigga soon follows, locking herself in her own bedroom.

Loki hears both their doors click and locks his own. He paces around his room, pulling out his phone and speed dialing Darcy's number. She was probably at flag practice right now but she always picked up. "Come on, Darcy," he mumbles to himself, swearing when he gets her voicemail. There was no way he was going to be locked up in his house for a whole week. He pulls on a pair of shoes and goes into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him and turning on the fan—it was where he usually threw his tantrums; Loki opens the window and crawls out onto the slightly slanted bit of roof that was just above the back porch, crawling along until he gets to the corner where the roof overhangs above some of the larger bushes in the garden; he starts to climb down hanging so that he's about four feet off the ground before dropping and rolling out of the bushes with a swear. Loki tries calling Darcy again and ducks between the fences, walking along a small path between the houses. She doesn't answer. "Fucking—ANSWER!" He kicks one of the fences in frustration. Staying home for a week wasn't an option; he wanted to go out and party, he needed that distraction. It wasn't like he was going to hole himself up in his room and do his school work.

A truck has to slam on its breaks when Loki walks out onto the main road. He stops partially in shock when he realizes how little he was paying attention to where he was going. Much to his amusement though, it's Steve Rogers who gets out of the driver's seat, sighing and rolling his eyes when he sees Loki. "I nearly hit you, you know!" Steve scolds, running a hand through his hair.

"Sorry, I—wasn't looking."

"Obviously." They both stand around awkwardly, some guy passing them shouting and honking for them to get out of the road. Loki flicks the guy off and Steve puts a hand on his arm, lowering it gently. "Are you okay?"

Loki shoots him a look. "Peachy."

"No," he shakes his head. "I mean…are you okay?" Loki furrows his brow.

He didn't feel okay; his stomach was in knots, his face hurt, his pride hurt, he'd made Frigga cry and she'd made him cry; _she'd made him cry_; Darcy was ignoring him; everyone was acting like it was his fault but he was just trying to help; he was always trying to help but of course just like everything else it blew up in his face. "No. Okay? No, I'm not fucking okay, I'm not I-" Loki starts to pace around. "I try so hard, alright? I try harder than anyone but no one appreciates it! No one fucking cares!" He starts crying and pulling at his hair in frustration. Loki never cried in front of anyone but Darcy and normally he'd snap at Steve for staring but he didn't even seem to notice Steve watching him in concern. "It got out of hand, okay? I should've just walked away but I didn't because I'm so fucking stupid! Harry Osborn calls my best friend a cunt and my family casts me out like a pariah as usual just because I was trying to do something fucking right for once-"

Steve takes a hold of his shoulders to keep him still. "Loki-"

"But it doesn't matter what I do because everyone's always going to treat me like a bug-"

"LOKI!" He shakes him and Loki stops. They stare at one another, Loki clearing his throat and wiping his eyes. "Look—we all have our breaking points, okay? And sometimes we let things get out of hand but it doesn't make us bad." Loki takes a moment to calm down. He'd normally disapprove of physical contact but…he didn't seem to mind. Steve was still holding his shoulders and he'd taken a step closer to him, studying his bruised and battered face. "I'm sorry…I should've—stepped in or something-"

"Steve."

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing here?" There's a pause. "It's past 3:30 and you have practice—don't you have a game Friday?"

Steve hesitates, blushing. Loki knew from how Thor talked about their coach that skipping football practice was an offense practically punishable by death—though he doubted that the coach was dumb enough to kick the star quarterback off the team. Still…Steve didn't strike him as the type to skip something he knew he shouldn't; he was Thor's best friend, the golden boy, the honors student, teacher's favorite…and it pissed Loki off immensely that Steve would go and do something like this just when he was starting to get a read on him.

"Look, I umm—I felt bad about what happened, okay? I should've done something and I didn't and I just-" He stops when Loki raises a brow, telling him to get to the point. "I wanted to check on you…make sure you were alright." Loki looks away and smiles, Steve's hands pulling away from his shoulders. "I should—probably get going, huh? You seemed to have places to be."

"Not really…just needed to get out of the house."

He walks with Steve to his car, stepping back as he gets in; Steve rolls down the window. "Hey, listen—if you need anything during your-"

"Imprisonment?"

"Yeah," he laughs, running a hand through his hair. "Give me a call, okay? If you just want to talk or…sneak out or whatever."

Loki smiles and nods; it was a gesture he expected but not one that he thought he'd want to act on, his brain already whirling with possibilities. Darcy obviously wasn't talking to him and usually when she didn't answer it meant she was either angry or upset and if she didn't call back then it meant it was at him. But Loki needed to get out of the house. He couldn't let Frigga win this one, he was too proud, and he needed a way to vent out his anger in a way that would relax him. Since his stash was rather low and he was supposedly grounded—and Principal Fury had taken his last cigarette pack—he might as well take advantage of Darcy not wanting to hang out by going somewhere she wouldn't want to be.

Steve starts the car and Loki leans in the window, biting his lip. "Hey, Steve?" He looks up with a smile. "There's a…_party_ in the city this weekend. Wanna go?"


	15. Chapter 15

**(I know some of you have already read but I realized I didn't like the Darcy ending)**

**Anyways...Steve is smitten~ and a dork. But he's a cute dork. Lol. I gave everyone a break in this chapter, they've had enough outside drama.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: This one's pretty tame**

**Comments/critiques welcomed!**

* * *

Not many students from Steve's school went into the city to hang out on the weekends. There were a lot of restaurants and hang outs and parties in the area that no one ever felt the need to go into the city unless they had something specific they were looking for that the mall didn't have. Needless to say Steve had a bit of trouble maneuvering around the city at night; the address Loki texted him was hard to find, it was in an apartment complex and after spending ten minutes just to find a place to park Steve was having second thoughts about the party. He wanted to hang out with Loki but he got nervous around new people sometimes and once he walked into the party he realized he didn't know anyone. There was a large group of people dancing when he first entered that were in tartan uniforms whom Steve assumed were from the local Catholic school and there were multiple people he recognized from Northend—a rival high school.

Steve decided to play it safe—grab a beer, hang out in the corner and see if Loki shows up (not that there was any doubt). This was way outside his comfort zone especially since it was an event where he didn't know anyone there. The guys in the kitchen with the kegs were wearing fraternity shirts; the girls doing shots were sorority; a majority of the Northend students looked like they frequented tattoo and pierce shops and most of the Catholic school girls were so wasted they couldn't stand up straight. Steve found a wall and stuck to it, sipping his beer casually. Loki was nowhere to be seen; if he didn't show up soon Steve was going to take off.

A girl in a tartan skirt with striking blue eyes bumps into Steve, laughing and looking up at him with a toothy smile. "Sorry…" she laughs, her friends pulling her along.

"Come on, Sigyn!"

The girls laugh, running around the corner. Steve smiles shyly to himself and looks at his feet. It had been a while since he went out with anyone—girl or guy—and homecoming _was_ coming up soon. All of his friends were going to have dates; from what Steve could tell Thor was probably going to ask Jane, Clint and Bucky would both be with Natasha, if they weren't in the dog house, and all of his other guy friends would find someone; guys were guys after all. Steve didn't really feel the urge to ask anyone though. There were a lot of pretty girls at his school, quite a few that he hung out with, and he knew a lot of them would want him to ask them out but he wasn't sure if _he_ wanted to.

Someone slaps Steve's ass; he turns around, confused when no one's there; he turns back around and jumps when Natasha appears out of nowhere, smirking at him. She had a knack for showing up in unexpected places. Natasha laughs lightly, taking his beer. She was wearing a dress that usually meant she and Clint were fighting. They'd be back together Monday. "What are you doing here? Kind of an _unfriendly neighborhood_ for you to show up in, don't you think, _Mr. Rogers_?"

He grins and tries not to laugh but to no avail. "I was invited, but I thank you for your concern…what are you doing here?" She spits out some of his beer, laughing.

"What do you mean you were invited? Steve…there's literally no one here except for college students and junkies—you're neither of these."

"Oh? And what does that make you?" he smirks, taking his beer back.

"Hey, I have _friends_ here. And there's nothing wrong with getting a little hit now and then—still doesn't explain what you're doing here. I know you're not doing drugs, you're not into that…not on a date, you don't go out with sluts like these…is Loki here?"

Steve smiles and shakes his head, sipping his beer. "Not yet—he's supposed to meet me…who do you know that-"

"Clint's friends from Northend—Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne?" Steve nods; he'd only met them once but he knew who she meant. Natasha flicks her hair over her shoulder, cocking her hips and looking around. "So Loki just…invited you? He literally hates half the people here, he must be in a wicked mood."

"I don't know…I think he just needed somewhere to vent out everything that's been going on."

Natasha snorts. "Well keep an eye on him." She grabs a beer from one of the girls stumbling by, taking a sip. "Anyways, what's with you two? You friends now?"

Steve sighs; he had no idea. Loki liked him but then it felt like he didn't like him. Half the time Steve wasn't even sure if he liked Loki—some of the thoughts he had around him were weird—and besides Loki wasn't always "textbook nice" to him but he was like that with Darcy too so…he had no idea. It seemed like Loki didn't have a censor on him when it came to social interactions, he usually said just about whatever he wanted but in the politest way possible which didn't make any sense. When Steve thought about it though he really liked spending time with Loki. He was funny and honest—brutally sometimes but who wasn't?—and oozed this unnatural kind of confidence that seemed to keep his head above everyone who was trying to demonize him. And he was different. Strange different. But different. He didn't act like a guy or a girl he just acted like a person and for Steve who was tired of guys and girls Loki was a kind of relief.

"Wow you really have to think about it." Steve blinks. He realizes he still hadn't answered her, Natasha smirking and watching him. She sips her beer and looks around. "Loki's kind of hard to understand, so I get it. He's…well he's kind of like me."

"What do you mean?"

"Cold, distant, blunt, paranoid, overanalyzes people and uses their weak points against them; has very few friends and finds it difficult to keep relationships…" Natasha shrugs. "We're a lot alike. We don't like people but we know what they're like and it keeps us from getting hurt. I've learned how to control the different walls I put up in order to live out a more natural social life but Loki…well he's just learned to block everyone out." She stares at her hands thoughtfully. "You should be careful, Steve, when you hang around him." He furrows his brow but she stops him before he could respond. "He's not a bad person—not naturally at least. Loki has a lot of control over his emotions but sometimes they build up and sometimes he loses control…like he did with Harry."

"That wasn't entirely his fault-"

"I know, I know, Harry was being an ass; my point is, Steve, is that Loki usually walks away. All of this negativity is starting to cloud around him again and you need to watch out for yourself, okay? Loki may not always be physically aggressive but he can read people like a book and pull you apart piece by piece before you're left wondering why you should even go on. He can be unnaturally cruel-" she holds up her hand when Steve tries to interrupt again, "-but I don't think he always means it. Like with Harry's mom…"

"He didn't mean to go that far?"

"I don't think he knew she was dead." Natasha sips her beer. "He has only been here since junior high. All of us learned that in elementary school. Loki relies on his power of observation to tell him all he needs to know about a person before initiating any kind of contact. Something about Harry said he had a mother." She looks towards the living room where some of the girls had started squealing and narrows her eyes. "Turn your head."

"Huh?" She forces Steve to turn his face towards the kitchen, doing the same. "Ow! Nat, what are you-"

Tony Stark passes by with a few girls on his arm, laughing. He was probably the last person Steve wanted to run into…anywhere. They didn't exactly end on good terms as everyone knew since the infamous Tony Stark couldn't keep his hands—among other things—to himself and would drown himself in beer whenever he could. He was fun and charismatic but managed to create demons out of the people who thought they were close to him. They're passed by, unnoticed.

Natasha sighs. "You'd think going to college early on would party him out."

Steve tries to distract himself. He was starting to think that Loki was a no show when he catches a glimpse of him talking to a few of the guys on the couch. There was an exchange of some kind, Loki handed the one a few bills and they handed him something in return; Steve pretended not to notice. His left eye and cheek were still swollen and prominently black but it didn't seem to faze him. Loki catches sight of Steve and smiles. He approaches them chatting with a few people along the way and stops short when he sees Tony; Loki makes a face, turning before he was seen but he wasn't as lucky. Tony grabs him by the waist and pulls him in closer than comfort. Steve felt his stomach drop. Tony Stark was going to put him in a bad mood and Steve remembered what Darcy had said the last time this happened; Loki was only going to dig himself further into his hole and Steve wasn't going to have any chance to hang out with him if he did that. Steve was contemplating going to interrupt them but Loki got away faster than Steve expected him to. He sends Tony on his way with a dirty look and makes his way over to Steve and Natasha. "Hey."

"Hey," Steve greets him.

"Loki."

Loki and Natasha share a mutual nod. "I didn't expect to see you, Natasha; I guess Barton's in the dog house then?"

She smirks. "You could say that." Loki nods, Steve offering him his beer. "You know…Steve and I were just talking about your _special powers_."

"Special powers?" Loki snorts giving Steve back his drink.

"Yeah…you know how you're psychic?" She laughs to herself, sipping her beer. Steve looks from Loki to Natasha. He couldn't tell if they were friends or if they hated each other. "Well, come on. How did you know Clint and I were fighting?"

Loki rolls his eyes. "Just like how everyone else knows, Natasha. You're at a party, in the city rather than in your school district, and you're wearing a short, tight, spaghetti strap, low-cut dress with a push-up bra to accentuate your body in order to attract attention." He sighs and looks around, running a hand through his hair. Steve could feel an uneasy tension and he wasn't sure if Natasha was trying to prove a point or if she was making fun of Loki—which wasn't like her.

He clears his throat. "I need some air…you wanna step outside?"

"Sure—I need a cigarette anyways."

Steve pulls away from Nat and gives her a small wave. Loki slips out onto the small balcony and Steve follows him, Loki shooing the couples making out back inside with an irritated frown. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, Steve watching him curiously. Loki could be an ass, yes, but there was something compelling about him that kept Steve from pushing away. He watches Loki gingerly touch the swollen part of his face, flinching slightly. Despite the black eye he looked good. His hair was tossed to the side like before, he was wearing those tight black jeans that Steve liked…wait—he did look good though. Confident good. And attractive…? Maybe. Loki was strangely good looking for a guy. Well not strangely because Steve liked some guys and Loki was just a very effeminate looking guy…not that that was bad, Steve kind of liked it but not like that because that seemed weird and it felt like he was betraying Thor's trust even though it wasn't like that since they weren't even doing anything… And Steve couldn't help that he thought about Loki sometimes when he was-

Shit, Steve realized Loki had said something but he didn't hear it and now he was staring at him like he was crazy. It was his fault. He was the one who had to dress up and look good outside of school…especially in those jeans-

Damn he said it again. He was lighting a cigarette and laughing now, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry…" Steve flushes, embarrassed. "I'm—_distracted_."

"I said I'm sorry that I was so late. The bus took longer than you'd think it would _and_ I had to find someone who'd buy me a pack of Camel." He leans over the balcony and exhales, admiring the lights of the city at night. The way his pale face was illuminated by the city and how his body curved out the way he was leaning—Steve closes his eyes and lets it pass. He clears his throat.

Loki looked good.

"You're really quiet…I didn't scare you off too, right?"

Steve blinks. He leans against the railing and crosses his arms. "Scare me off…?"

"Yeah." Loki exhales through his nose watching the cars drive by below. "No one's been bothering me since the fight but…Darcy isn't talking to me either. Although I don't know if she's texted me or not I left my phone at home so Frigga wouldn't call to bitch at me. These pants don't do very well with vibrations, you know?" Steve could feel his insides squirm.

"Darcy's still not talking to you?"

Loki rolls his eyes. "She's just being a jackass. She worries too much and then she gets mad at me for making her worry…she'll be fine." Steve laughs, scratching the back of his head. He wasn't sure what this was that was making his stomach twist but he was doing his best to ignore it. If he got nervous and started stammering Loki would think something was wrong and he couldn't tell if Loki was in a bad mood because of Natasha or having to deal with Stark.

"Listen—I'm sorry about Tony getting to you..."

He shakes his head, Steve's stomach doing a flip when Loki smiles at him. "Don't worry about it. I just turn everything off when he's around."

Loki flicks his cigarette and hops up onto the rail, hooking his feet in between the bars to balance himself, his back to the city. It makes Steve incredibly nervous since the last time he did something like that Loki looked like he was enjoying the thought of falling; this fall was a one way trip. Instinctively he grabs for Loki's arm, letting go when he stares at him. He mumbles an apology. Loki looks from Steve to the drop off the balcony and smiles lightly. "It's fine, Rogers, I'm not going to spit acid on you for touching me." Steve gets anxious when Loki leans out slightly, fighting the urge to grab his arm again. He's grateful when Loki takes the hint and gets down.

The crowd inside starts to chant; two guys were on the table chugging down as many beers as they could. Steve turns back to Loki who was enjoying the feel of the updraft in his hair. He was being so casual around him and Steve wasn't sure what had changed; he liked this side of Loki…it was a relief from the usual uptight passive-aggressive personality he had at school but it wasn't just that; Loki didn't have his walls up; he was wearing clothes that looked more natural, he wasn't hiding behind a book or a scowl, he was more exposed and Steve sort of liked it. He wanted more of it.

"Don't you want to join the party? I thought you needed to purge out some stress."

Loki smiles, looking down at his feet. "I actually kind of like just standing out here…besides, I—I guess I'm just not in the mood." Steve nods. He leans over the rail slightly to watch the cars; it was nice outside despite it being October and Steve was rather fond of the idea of being out here rather than surrounded by people he didn't know. "Hey-" Steve looks up. "Did…Natasha say something to you? It's just…that…" He trails off.

"Can you do me?" Loki makes a face. "No, I mean…like you did with her. Can you look at me and just like…_know_ stuff about me?"

He watches as Loki looks him over but there's a hesitation. Loki fiddles with his hands and looks up at Steve smiling sheepishly and somehow he looked so adorable and vulnerable smiling at him like that; Steve wanted to turn away desperately but he couldn't give himself away no matter how many butterflies were fluttering in his stomach.

Loki bites his lip and Steve felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"It's…it's harder to do on people I know…" he tucks his hair behind his ear. "I know we haven't been talking for very long but you've been friends with Thor since we moved here so…I already know a lot." Steve nods, slightly disappointed. "Although…I knew your mom was a nurse because of how well you take care of yourself. Your hair and fingernails are clean and you have little to no acne but you're not mysophobic…and Thor's probably mentioned she worked at a hospital."

Steve grins. "That's really amazing though. You're like Sherlock Holmes."

"I'm not solving murders, Steven."

"Yeah, but…it's a lot like what he does in the show." Loki furrows his brow. "Have you never seen it? _Sherlock_ on BBC?" Loki shakes his head. "You'd like it."

They both turn to stand side by side, looking out over the city and content with just being there. A girl opens the sliding door, laughing obnoxiously. She sees them and apologizes, giggling uncontrollably and stumbling back inside, shutting the door behind her.

"Steve?" He turns to face him. "Thanks. For…you didn't have to come here tonight so…thank you." Loki was inches from him; Steve could smell the slight natural scent of his skin mixed with the tang of the cigarettes. From so close he could see how big and green Loki's eyes really were and it made his heart skip a beat but he didn't know why. Maybe it was the way they were lit up by the lights or just that he'd never really noticed before. He wanted to reach out; he wanted to lay his fingers against his cheek and feel how smooth and soft and cool Loki's skin was but Steve knew better.

Loki would never like him that way.

Steve smiles, nudging him playfully. "Yeah, well…I'd feel bad if you came here alone. Rough crowd." Loki hums and closes his eyes, letting another updraft blow through his hair.


	16. Chapter 16

**Wooo! I like this chapter!**

**I get to work with a character I love working with! Thor! (I really like Thor...) This is what I'd like to call a buffer chapter. Sort of diving into everything that's going on with the other characters-Thor, Darcy, and Steve (mostly Thor).**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Umm...I guess just a bit of trigger warning stuff towards the end.**

**Comments/critiques are welcomed!**

* * *

Thor groans when his alarm goes off. No one was screaming or shouting and he couldn't smell any breakfast being made so he lies back down.

He knew he could probably get away with staying home if he wanted to—especially since he didn't have football practice to worry about—but he didn't want his mother fussing over him about not being more focused on his studies; he knew she probably wouldn't even notice he was home. He gets up. Thor had to shave every day. He hated that. Frigga said he could still grow a few more inches and when he jokingly asked where she'd hit him.

There wasn't much going on in the Odinson house anymore. Odin worked in the city so he wasn't home much and on top of that he took multiple business trips back and forth from London; Frigga more often than not went with him. Thor didn't like it like this. He wanted everything to feel like a family again but knew that wasn't going to happen…not with Frigga pulling and both Loki and Odin pushing. Thor didn't get a lot of attention anymore. Having everything all broken up like this was upsetting.

Of course it was all Loki's fault.

He had to be an instigator in _everything_, he couldn't let anything go and Thor could have forgiven that if he wasn't always the one to blame for Loki doing things he shouldn't. Thor always had to take care of Loki, know where Loki was, go find Loki, check on Loki, spend time with Loki; even when he went downstairs for breakfast he found a note from Frigga asking him to check on Loki during lunch. As if. Loki had gotten him in enough trouble for one day and it resulted in him being booted from the team for the rest of the year.

Thor finds his brother passed out in the living room. It looked like Darcy had come over with donuts because there was a bit of white powder on the coffee table. Thor nudges Loki with his foot and he grumbles at him in his sleep. He rolls his eyes. Normally he'd carry Loki up to his room but he wasn't feeling as nice today. Thor had to go to school, Loki didn't. Of course he knew a suspension would look worse on his transcript than being suspended from the last three football games of the season.

Thor stuffs a couple of poptarts in his bag and slings it over his shoulder. He rolls his eyes. Loki was probably just going to stay in the same spot all day, there wasn't any need to check on him later.

So Thor didn't.

* * *

Darcy was in an anxious mood.

Over the weekend she'd completely forgotten about writing her paper and begged the Chemistry teacher for an extension on the paper, even if he gave her a lower grade for it being late. Dr. Banner was one of the toughest teachers in the school but he was also the fairest; he asked to meet with Darcy after class who was on the brink of a panic attack. She wanted to get into one of the universities in New York in order to study political science but in order to do that she needed to pass all the required science course with a B or higher. He was sympathetic though and admitted to having just as hard a time in high school as anyone else. After their talk Dr. Banner granted Darcy the window to finish the paper by Friday but no later than that or else he'd have to take off a letter grade.

"I can't believe he gave you until Friday!" Jane leans against the locker next to Darcy's.

Darcy grins, putting her books away. She was on her way to lunch with Jane and couldn't help but brag to her. "I know right? Dr. Banner has to be my most favorite teacher in the fucking universe! I'll need your help writing it this afternoon, okay? I took some extra hours at work since I fucking dropped my phone…"

"Okay," Jane smiles, Darcy shutting her locker. "I'm also tutoring Thor this afternoon so we'll have to create a fair system."

Thor walks past them in the hall with some of his friends, grinning and waving at Jane. Darcy snorts out a laugh.

"Tutoring, huh?" Jane blushes.

Just like the year before, it was rather unnerving for Loki to not be in school. At least last year Darcy could text him but she had broken her phone in the lamest way possible—by dropping it in the parking lot—and she knew Loki had to be texting and calling her. Of course her parents weren't going to wire her any money to buy a new one since she'd just gotten this phone. But Loki needed her. She was his keeper of good times and when he was down like she knew he was it was sort of her job to pick him back up. Unfortunately she hadn't been able to do that.

Saturday night Darcy had called the house but Frigga wouldn't let her talk to Loki. Fighting was something Frigga couldn't condole and while Darcy tried to explain that Loki was on the defensive for her sake, he was the one that threw the first punch. They must've argued for hours, Thor finally coming out to break them up. Darcy tried to get Thor on her side and he calmly explained that he'd let Loki know she wasn't ignoring him but Loki and Frigga had been at each other's throats since the fight and he didn't want any more stress for either of them—especially her. Frigga was great but sometimes Darcy wanted to punch her in the throat for not giving Loki what he needed.

It wasn't good for her to focus so much on this though. She'd try to call Loki again sometime that week if she could but Darcy needed to finish her paper and get a new phone. She and Jane walk to lunch together and decide to sit with Thor and Steve—which made both of them happy.

* * *

The house was dark when Thor walked in all except for the television in the living room. Loki was sitting on the floor in between the coffee table and the couch, staring blankly at the TV. Thor scowls. He was wearing some of Thor's clothes. Loki just stared at the TV, legs crossed, and arms lying limp in his lap. It was on mute and Thor wasn't entirely sure what he was watching but he seemed to be absorbed in it. "Loki, did mum go out?" Thor grabs a water from the kitchen. Loki doesn't answer him. "Loki." Nothing. "Loki!" No acknowledgment. "You know the least you could do is answer me-"

"Fuck off," Loki sighs.

Thor rolls his eyes and heads upstairs to his room. Whatever. If his brother wanted to give him the silent treatment he'd figure out what it was for later. Loki could be such a brat. He settles himself in his chair by the window, pulls out his laptop and slips on his headphones. The music would drown out every negative thing he was feeling.

The day was rather uneventful.

Jane was willing to meet after school with him though which was one of the reasons Thor was almost thankful to be suspended from the team. He didn't have to go to the after school practices which gave him more free time for when he got home. Of course that also meant his mother would nag at him to do his homework before he did anything else. Despite his studies he did have a better day socially than he had been; without Loki in school, people weren't whispering about his brother behind his back and he didn't feel the constant need to check in on him; Steve and Darcy sat with him during lunch, which was nice since Darcy and Jane were getting a chance to talk and it felt like forever since Steve and Thor fooled around during school. Thor liked that Steve wanted to be friends with Loki but sometimes it felt like Steve liked Loki more and he couldn't help but be a little jealous.

Of course the best part was spending time with Jane.

Thor had gotten home later than he expected to. His studies with Jane took a lot longer since Darcy was there asking for help from her as well. He'd also stopped at Steve's work to get a burger and ended up eating there. They talked for a while which was nice since it felt like forever since it was just the two of them. Steve was his best friend, time got away from them; he was surprised Steve's manager didn't scold him. Frigga would disapprove of him getting a burger before dinner but Thor was hungry, he needed meat and American junk food was rather addicting.

Jane had helped him with the majority of his homework—algebra—but he still had one chapter left in his book for English to analyze and he'd be done with his homework for the night. English was a strange class; unlike Spanish or French it didn't really teach him anything about the English language…just how to read books so that they were more boring than most of them already were. Thor had no interest in what universal themes could be applied to real life based on the lessons learned in _The Scarlet Letter_; he understood the overall concept of the nature of evil he was just tired of reading books he didn't want to read. Especially ones with movies that were just as boring as the book.

He tried to focus on his English for a while but even the conclusion of the book was boring. Thor was convinced that the only cool thing that came out of the Puritans was the story of the Blair Witch but even that movie was boring. Something was nagging at him though.

It was something that always bothered him—everyone always paid more attention to Loki.

Thor was always so cheerful and positive and he always had an easy time winning his parents' affection and making friends in school; Loki was his opposite; Loki was like a dark cloud that followed the heroes around in cartoons; he liked being alone, he liked reading and drawing and playing music and he never had a lot of friends. But of course their parents—mostly their mother—would fuss over Loki constantly because when it came to talent, Loki had it all; he painted and sketched beautifully, got straight A's in school, learned all of the languages they were taught more fluently than Thor, played the piano, violin, and harp; Thor didn't like drawing very much, he always tried his best in school and was passing, he could speak all the languages they were taught and could read most of them he just couldn't write in some like Loki did, and when it came to music he'd learned piano but even there Loki excelled high above himself; what Thor lacked in certain talents he made up for in sports, leadership, and social skills but even those failed him at times. All of Thor's friends always wanted to find different ways to mess with Loki when they came over instead of just hanging out like Thor wanted. Even now with Loki having mainly Darcy he always managed to steal attention away from Thor; Steve was one of Thor's best friends and lately he'd been spending more time with his little brother than with him. And Thor hated to watch Frigga beat herself up the way she was.

Sometimes Thor couldn't help but wonder if Loki enjoyed causing everyone. Thor loved Loki a lot and they were once closer than any other pair of brothers could be but when he and Frigga both got into one of their moods he sometimes wished that Loki would go for a walk one day and not come back. But that would fill Thor with such unimaginable guilt...

Now he wanted pizza.

The sun was set now and the house was so dark it was hard to see anything. Nothing except for the television set. Thor flicks on the living room lights and furrows his brow. Loki wasn't in the living room anymore. And he'd left all this white powdery stuff on the table from this morning. Thor scowls and brushes it off. Right as he sits down the landline rings, Thor stretching over the arm of the couch to answer it. "Hello? Oh, hey, mum," at least Frigga sounded happy. "No, no, we were just-yes, mum, I finished my homework…where are you?" Thor nods. "Okay. I would like pizza for dinner, is that fine with you? Yeah, from that little delivery place in town, the authentic New York pizza deli… Loki? He uhh…yes, Loki is happy with pizza. I will order the sandwich from there that you like, yes? Yes. See you when you get home. Love you too."

* * *

Steve hated busting tables. The owner of the restaurant was a family friend—and Bucky worked here too so that wasn't so bad—but busting tables meant he didn't get any tips like the waiters. And work wore him out on weekdays. It was only bad now since he went to school, went to practice, and then went to work. For a sixteen year old that was a lot going on in one day.

Thor had come in earlier. He'd been at the school late studying with Jane. They talked for some time and Thor ordered a burger. Steve got up a couple of times because of work but they talked for a while. They'd had lunch together earlier; it seemed like forever since they'd just sat down and had a conversation. Thor talked about his mom and how rough she seemed to be taking everything and Steve listened. Frigga was a great mom she just took everything to heart. Steve could remember how stressed she seemed even with Loki out of school. Now it seemed worse.

Steve asked how Loki was but Thor didn't seem too happy to talk about Loki. He knew all of this was probably really weird for Thor since they'd be friends for years and Steve had barely noticed Loki's existence until now. Except now he was _really_ noticing Loki's existence.

Loki seemed to be the only thing on his mind lately. Steve was struggling to pay attention in school, he was messing up plays, forgetting his homework…and now what used to be little tidbits of what-ifs had turned into full blown fantasies. Should he really be falling for Thor's little brother? Loki had suddenly become extremely attractive to Steve. He was smart, funny, and didn't sugar coat anything. Steve had been dealing with sugar coating doctors his whole life and he was tired of being treated like he couldn't handle what life was throwing at him. Loki called people out on their shit and Steve liked that.

But it didn't feel right.

"Yo, Steve," Bucky nods for him to follow. "Come help me in the back, old man says we're gonna close up early."

"Thank God…" Steve mumbles, clearing his last table. The restaurant was practically empty during the weeknights and he had a lot of homework to finish. He follows Bucky back into the kitchen, setting his bin down. They start loading the dishwasher.

Bucky shoves him playfully. "What's on your mind, man? You've been quiet all night…well, quieter than usual." Steve and Bucky had been best friends since they were in diapers and while Steve loved him he just couldn't talk to him about his problem with Loki. Well…it wasn't really a problem but it still didn't feel right.

Steve laughs dryly. "I don't know…I just—feel a little sick I guess."

"Dude…you need to stop eating school lunches." He switches the washer on and leans against it. Steve shakes his head. "What? Did you get a boner during gym or something? Because seriously, man, if you're that bi-curious you probably shouldn't be playing men's sports -"

"Not that! That hasn't happened since middle school…" Steve hisses. "Besides you're the only one who knew about that. This is different, it's…it's embarrassing, okay?"

"And the boner thing isn't?"

"Bucky!"

He laughs. "Steve…everything you do is an embarrassment." Steve sighs and loads the washer in silence. Bucky nudges him. "I'm kidding, man, what's going on?"

What could he say? That he had a dumb little crush on Thor's brother? That he had a crush on _Loki Laufeyson_? He didn't even know what side Bucky was on. The school was split on whether or not they wanted him around. Clint—who hated Loki with a passion—was always with Bucky during school but so was Natasha and she didn't seem to mind Loki's presence. In fact she was one of the few who stood up for him.

"Bucky…have you ever liked someone that…you probably weren't supposed to?" Steve used his serious voice so that Bucky would know this was an important question.

"Well…do you count?" Steve makes a face. They dated for about a month but it felt more like friends with benefits than dating. And it ended once Natasha dumped Clint for the first time. "There was you, that girl from my English class, that girl from my math class, that other girl from my math class…Natasha probably counts almost as much as you do…"

"Err…that's okay, Bucky, I get it…"

"Look, Steve, you can like whoever you want, okay? We're guys. Despite what girls think we fall for someone new every week just like they do. This…person…do they like you back?"

Steve didn't have to take very long to think. "I have no idea."

Bucky grins and shakes his head. "You just need to grab it by the horns, Steve, admit your feelings. If they put you down you cut your losses and move on. But you know…Carol from school keeps asking about you." Steve quirks a brow. "Yeah, she keeps asking if you're going to homecoming with anyone. You could always cut your losses now and go with her…she's kind of hot." He nods. Loki could never have an interest in someone like him, Steve knew that. Besides, Carol was nice enough.

He sighs and crosses his arms. Bucky was right—who he liked wasn't anything to be ashamed of it was just a natural thing. And Steve's everything was liking Loki right now; he just wished Loki wasn't so difficult.

* * *

"Loki—food."

Thor had knocked but Loki didn't answer…so he walked in. Frigga had questioned the amount of food he was taking to his frugal eating brother but she actually ate up his story that they were hanging out. She was too proud of them to question it. Loki was curled up on the bed, his back facing the door. Thor stares at him. "Loki?"

He shrugs when he doesn't answer and sits down on the floor, flicking on the stereo. The pizza was good. And Loki's room was spotless as usual; his brother had a tendency to obsessively clean when he was in a bad mood. Thor walks around, looking at everything. Normally Loki would rebuke him for coming into his room without his say and he'd probably rip off Thor's hand for touching anything. He didn't touch anything important though; like he knew touching or opening any of the journals on Loki's desk was punishable by death; Thor just poked at a few odd little knick-knacks Loki had collected over the years. A lot of them were from London where they'd lived before. Both their parents were from Sweden and that's where Thor was born but London was where they grew up. Thor's wandering fingers bump against an old key that seemed to go with the desk. The small drawer it belonged to was already partially open and Thor knew he was too wide for Loki to see him being a bit more curious than he should. The drawer just had a couple of old letters and photos inside and a ton of plastic wristbands with Loki's name on them. There were also a few small packages of something white and wrapped in what looked like saran wrap.

Thor turns his head when Loki makes a small noise, curling up further on the bed. He furrows his brow.

"Loki, do you not want any pizza? I got you the cheese that you are fond of. There is also breadsticks and an Italian sandwich that you enjoy." He frowns, approaching his brother's bed. "Loki? Are you ill?" Thor felt his heart stop. His bad thoughts about his little brother had killed him like in one of those Japanese horror movies Darcy liked to make him watch. (They were pay back for all the Scandinavian movies). He nudges him gently, his heart pounding in his chest. Thor nudges his brother again and sighs in relief when Loki swears under his breath.

Loki groans, Thor able to get a good look at him. He was paler than usual, his eyes sunken; he had his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms were pressed against his stomach like there was a pain. His whole body tremors and Loki lets out a whine.

"Thor…I'm gonna be sick…"

They barely make it into Loki's bathroom when Loki pulls hurriedly away from Thor and vomits into the sink. His arms were still wrapped tightly around himself, clutching the shirt as he wretched again. Thor rubs his back soothingly. There was some blood in his vomit but Thor couldn't panic about it, it would freak Loki out. He sets Loki gently on the floor and washes out the sink, his appetite unfortunately leaving him. Thor would just have to eat his pizza tomorrow. He washes his hands once the sink's clean and looks down at Loki. His arms were still pressed defensively against his body. Thor furrows his brow. The shirt Loki was wearing was his, as well as the pants; the shirt was dark but he could swear he saw something. There was a large stain under Loki's arms. It took Thor a moment to realize what it was.

_Blood_.

"Loki, let me see," Thor orders gruffly, fighting with Loki to pull his arms away.

He lifts his shirt, running a hand over his brother's stomach gently but the only blood Thor found was from where he'd touched him. Thor didn't understand. He looks at his hands and grabs Loki's arms to look at them, Loki struggling to pull away from him; even with Loki weakened like he was Thor would've won. There were large scars, fresh ones, on top of all the paling ones that already decorated his arms and wrists. Thor frowns. Loki couldn't have done this minutes before Thor even made it to the stairs to bring him dinner.

"Why did you do this?"

"I…I wanted to see…" Loki hesitates, his head spinning. "I wanted to see the color."

Thor washes the blood of Loki's arms and pats them dry, leading him back into the bedroom to sit down. He sneaks into the hall to get the first aid kit. Frigga didn't seem to notice but Thor locks the door just in case. He rubs disinfectant on Loki's arms much to his fussing and displeasure and wraps them up tightly. The blood still seeps through the gauze but only a little. Thor changes his brother's clothes and puts him in boxers instead of the pants; Loki hated to feel hot.

"Tell me if you're going to throw up again, alright?"

Despite Loki having more faults than were humanly possible Thor sometimes felt like he was the only one who knew how to take care of him. Darcy was good at what she did but even Darcy didn't know what to do when Loki was at his worst. Thor _had_ to know. No one else could deal with him like this. His mother had good intentions but when was the last time she gave Loki kind words and kissed everything better? Thor couldn't remember. He lays Loki down, his back against the wall, and Thor lies down with him, resting his head on top of his brother's. The cramping in Loki's stomach made his body spasm a bit but Thor tried not to be bothered by it. Maybe the reason Frigga always asked him to check up on Loki was that she didn't want to anymore. He tried to think of the last time she hugged him, kissed him, said 'I love you' without trying to guilt Loki into anything. Sure Loki got a lot of attention from Thor's friends and their parents but it was never the attention he really needed. Loki hisses when his muscles clench. It didn't matter right at this moment that whatever was wrong with Loki had a cause it mattered that something was wrong. His parents were pushing and pulling for answers when Loki didn't have any to give. Sometimes Thor wasn't sure if Loki knew that some of the things he was doing were wrong. Loki whines, curling into a ball again. Thor rubs his back and hums a song he didn't have any words to. It was something their mother used to do when Loki got sick.

She hadn't done it in a while.


	17. Chapter 17

**Another update. Yaaayyy! For those of you who are being super patient for some action I promise that it's coming up very soon. And then I'll stab you all in the chest shortly after. Sorry, it's just how this story goes. Love you~**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: Umm...none really. Wow and this chapter has Darcy...good for me.**

* * *

Loki's suspension came to an end as well as his house arrest. Neither he nor Thor could go to the game so Darcy called them from the public phone at the field. She and Loki hadn't had a chance to talk for over a week so she nearly missed the halftime show. Frigga spent her Saturday in the city shopping; Loki and Thor spent the day in a truce both silently agreeing not to bring up the night Thor spent in his room despite their mother's questioning looks. Despite not speaking of it…Loki couldn't remember much of what had happened. He knew he'd given in, his addictions had been stirring for some time over the week and he'd only taken a small hit but something was wrong. The high that he usually got was euphoric but this felt twisted and black; his body felt like it was rejecting him. Thor told him he'd gotten sick. Loki remembered the pain in his stomach and chest, he remembered Thor coming home and coming into his room, and he remembered waking up…

Now it was Sunday and Darcy had dragged him to the mall.

"Slim pickings," Loki comments while Darcy looks through the homecoming dresses. For some reason she suddenly decided that she wanted to go to the dance that was coming up; that reason of course being Steve. As of today he was still not going with anyone and Loki unfortunately kept being updated. She makes him help her carry her choices into the dressing rooms and chooses a stall while Loki attempts to find comfort on the padded seats against the central mirrors. There was still a sinking feeling in his stomach from not telling Darcy that he knew Steve wasn't interested. Well…not really _knew_ but he could tell that Steve didn't look at her like she wanted. Darcy tries on her seventh dress and Loki glances up from his book. "I thought this was a costume party. You know—for Halloween?"

Darcy does a turn in front of the mirror. "Well, I figured whatever I buy you could spruce up a bit for a character. Use your master sewing skills, you know?"

"You do realize this is a little short notice."

"Oh, please, you don't have a life. You're in a mall full of hot guys and cute shoes, and you're _reading_." She pulls her hair up and does a half turn in front of the mirror. "I don't like this one either…" Darcy retreats into the dressing room with a dramatic sigh.

"Darcy…it's a _costume_ party; just pick a character and _then_ find a dress."

"But it has to be _cuuutteee_!" she whines. Loki lets out a mocking laugh. "Okay, fine…cute _or_ sexy, I'll settle for either."

Loki rubs at his arms; his scars were itching like crazy and he couldn't even remember why he made them. Thor didn't tell him why. He tries to concentrate on his book but it really was one of the most boring things he'd ever read. If he didn't finish it though he'd have to live with the fact that Thor did and that didn't settle right with Loki.

Darcy comes out and laughs at herself, covering her face with her hands. "Oh, God…I look like a fucking plum." Loki puts down his book.

"There're children around." She did look like a plum though. "You could be a sugar plum? Or the Sugar Plum Fairy from that ballet? _The Nutcracker_?"

"Ah, yes, that'll get me laid," Darcy snorts. "Being a character from a play called _The _Nut_cracker_."

"Ballet."

"Whatever." She closes the door.

Loki was ready to give up on the ramblings of Nathaniel Hawthorne. It wasn't that the book was bad or poorly written…he simply had no interest in the romanticism of the main character's crime. When it came to reading Loki was not particularly fond of a romantic undertone unless it blossomed in the purest and simplest of ways.

It was also why he was only fond of a few movies.

"Darcy, why don't we just go to a costume store?"

"Because I'm not degrading myself to something as menial as a preplanned costume! That's like your mom buying off the rack, it does not happen and it _will not_ happen."

"You're being ridiculous…"

Darcy comes out of her dressing room carrying everything she'd tried on and sighs. "Let's try somewhere else, I'm not feeling any of these." She hangs all of the dresses up on the return rack and grabs Loki's arm—he winces—and loops it with hers. "Maybe I should just buy a pair of animal ears and throw on some lingerie. I'm sure half the girls are doing that anyway."

Loki snorts. "So much for cute."

They continue walking around the ladies' section of the store, Darcy having to stop and look at all the shoes—her true weakness. Loki wondered if he should come clean; she would want him to, that way it didn't seem as though he was babying her or lying about talking her up even though he _was_ trying Loki just wasn't good at talking to guys about girls; especially to guys he somewhat got along with about girls he didn't always recognize as girls. Then there was Steve who wasn't giving him any kind of leverage in this. He was as thick-headed as Thor. Loki wasn't making it easy but the guy needed to catch a hint because Loki was running out of good things to say about Darcy. He watches as she falls over trying to pull on a pair of boots. At least she was funny in a nonconventional sort of way. Loki wanted to help, he did, but Steve wasn't interested; he didn't know how to tell her at least part of him didn't. The other part wanted to wait this out, see where it would go; Loki wasn't so convinced that Carol actually liked Steve and not Bucky, and if Carol made a move towards Steve Loki wanted to see how it would play out.

Darcy sits up abruptly when Loki's phone goes off; she'd been using his phone for her social needs. She yells aloud and half-somersaults her way over to him to grab his bag. "Give it! It could be important!" Loki lets her jack his phone, looking at her like she was crazy to play up the moment. Darcy flips through the notifications. "Who the hell cares what you had for lunch?! God, I hate Facebook…false alarm, go back to business."

A rather disgruntled looking man walks over with a scowl and tells them to keep it down.

"You're insane, you know that, right?"

"Hey, just because you're not pining to go with-" Darcy stops her sentence short. "Oh my God…I didn't even think of that…who are you going to go with? You can't third wheel, you're too socially awkward and you'd be filled with the hatred of the thousands of souls who have ever been third wheeled, I can't deal with that."

He shrugs. "I don't have to go."

"Yes you do! Who's going to be my wingman?"

Loki snorts, taking his phone back from her. He was obviously missing something. "Darcy, if you're already planning to go with Steve, why do I have to be your wingman?"

"_Hello_? How else am I supposed to have sex?" She rolls her eyes and holds out her arms like he was supposed to know that.

"Give him all the right signals? Say all the right things? And Darcy…don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself? He hasn't even asked you yet…or vice versa."

She waves him off and puts the boots back where she found them. "Details, details, all I know is that Steve works fast and I need a cute dress that flaunts my figure." Loki rolls his eyes. He didn't know who Darcy was talking to but Steve did not give off the essence of a sexual being. "What do these boots remind you of?" They both take a step back to look at them. "David Bowie from _Labyrinth_? I mean that's what I see but then again I was more sexually attracted to those boots than I was his bulge."

"Darcy—you could be Sarah…from that ballroom scene. We could find an old white 80s dress and I could bedazzle it a little."

"I don't know…it's not cute or sexy but…"

"It's _kind of_ sexy. Sort of—OW! What the hell?!"

Darcy had punched Loki sharply in the arm and he scowls at her. "Christine and her royal court are right behind us." Loki glances back; Christine and a few girls were walking over to them, including Carol Danvers.

"Well hello, Darcy. I thought I heard you from across the store."

Christine smirks, flicking her hair back. Loki didn't understand why people hung out with her except that high school was high school and social rank meant everything. They pay him the curious glance but nothing more since they were all scared of him now. He didn't understand why everyone questioned what he wore it wasn't like he was wearing anything offensive—just a long skirt and a sweater.

Darcy flips her hair back, crossing her arms. "Hi, Christine, so nice to see you out and about. Looking for dresses? Can't all be wearing the same thing, can we?" Loki would have to add jackass to Darcy's list of positives.

"Oh, Darcy, you always make me laugh," Christine sighs. She looks over her nails and looks back up at them with a smile. "I didn't even know you were going to the dance. The two of you—I'm assuming?"

Loki snorts.

"I haven't asked my date yet," Darcy replies, mimicking Christine's posture.

"You'd better ask fast, Lewis, before all the decent ones are gone."

"Well…make sure your date knows your name before anything happens, Christine." Darcy smirks as she turns to Loki, walking away. Christine scowls at them. Darcy pulls on Loki to follow her, making him stumble on his skirt. He swats at her to get off while he fixes himself, Christine and her friends whispering amongst themselves; he heard the word 'twink'. Loki could feel his face burning as Darcy drags him away.

"Careful you and Laufeyson don't end up wearing the same dress, Darcy." The girls giggle, walking in the opposite direction.

Loki crosses his arms defensively. They needed a break; Darcy buys him an ice cream at the food court sitting with him while she thinks aloud. She seemed to like his idea and was naming off all the places they could find some old white dresses. He wasn't really paying attention. Carol was with Christine in the store. What if she was already going with Steve? Loki could always go with Darcy, he wouldn't mind; besides it would be his fault for not trying harder to hook them up. Loki still didn't understand why Darcy couldn't just approach him herself. It was all giving him a headache.

"Loki." Darcy laughs, handing him some napkins. "You're dripping all over yourself. What's going on?" He shakes his head and mops up the ice cream.

"Maybe I should third wheel with you Saturday…"

"You don't have to if you don't want-"

"No, no, it's just-" Loki bites his lip. He laughs lightly, cleaning off his hand. "You're a mess, you know? You probably need me to get you laid more than we think." He twists his hands together, his stomach churning. "Darcy…this is just a crush right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…you won't go completely off the edge if nothing happens, right?"

Darcy laughs, stopping when she realizes he's being serious. "Oh…well, I—I mean it's not like I think we're soul mates or anything…Steve's just really, really ripped and I want to lick things off his body…" she shrugs. "And he's really nice and polite and that's hard to find in guys our age. Sure I'll be upset, but I'll get over it."

* * *

An hour after they get home—empty handed—Facebook notified Loki's phone that Carol Danvers had asked Steve to the dance. He'd said yes.

Darcy didn't want to go anymore.

* * *

The restaurant he chose wasn't very busy for a Sunday night. Loki stirs his drink, waiting impatiently for his waiter to show up again. He'd known what he wanted for over half an hour. Family owned restaurant, not busy on a weekend, half the customers were seated at the bar, and the dumpster he walked past was filled with partially eaten food…Loki should've just ordered he and Darcy a pizza but he wasn't doing so good trying to cheer her up. She just wanted to go home so Thor drove her and Loki found himself somewhere quiet; though he was hoping more for quiet not dead.

Loki was feeling guilty. He should've tried harder, he should've just put the idea in Steve's head he was good at that. At least then Darcy may have gotten one night out with him and everyone could move on and be happy platonic friends. Why did everyone in high school have to like someone? It wasn't like Darcy ever enjoyed the relationships she got for more than a day.

His waiter walks by and Loki holds up his glass for a refill. He tries to disguise his groan as a sigh, grabbing the glass and throwing an internal fit on the way to the bar. Loki seemed to be the only customer in his section; he'd make sure to take advantage of that.

"Loki?"

Steve had a bin of dirty dishes on his hip and he had to double take past Loki's table since some of the lights in the restaurant had gone out a while ago. Loki laughs dryly to himself, his waiter handing him his drink and walking away. "Hello, Steven…of course you work at the one restaurant I walked into."

"Nice to see you too." He looks around. "You're…here alone?"

"You obviously have a lot to learn about me."

He laughs, setting the bin down on an empty table. "Is your food not out yet? I could go check for you."

"The queen of Sheba over there hasn't taken my order yet." Steve looks towards Loki's waiter and snorts.

"That's Jimmy. Sorry, he's not very good at his job…actually none of us are but at least I get all the dishes off the table." He shrugs, grinning. "The spaghetti is edible enough, comes with meatballs and bread…sound good?"

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too bad." Loki smiles lightly.

"Back in one second." Steve takes his bin and disappears into the kitchen.

Loki sips his drink slowly. He was too much of a lightweight to down more than three glasses of coke and rum. The universe obviously hated him though; why the hell did Steve keep showing up when he was down in one of his moods? And worse he somehow made him feel better. Loki groans. Steve comes back out and sets a salad down in front of him with a cup of dressing on the side. Fancy.

"Excuse me, sir, but this isn't what I ordered."

Steve slides into the booth opposite of him with a water and laughs. "All entrées come with a salad…compliment of the chef."

"And here I thought everyone knew you were supposed to dress the salad before bringing it out." Loki smirks, trying a bite. It wasn't bad. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"You know I don't think everyone is as cultured as you," Steve teases. "I had my dinner break earlier. What are you drinking, by the way?"

He shrugs. "Coke and rum."

"Did Jimmy even check your idea? Because there's no way that he though-" Loki pulls a card from his pocket and hands it to Steve. "You're twenty-two? Wait—is this even real? No way you're twenty-two…"

"I'm fifteen, Rogers, you've known me since I was ten." He takes the ID card back. "And no, it's not-" Loki lowers his voice, "-_real_ by technical definition but it lets me get into clubs with bars and get drinks from certain restaurants. I don't flaunt it though." He stirs his drink slowly, done with the salad. It wasn't good enough for him to finish it.

He really wasn't all that hungry anymore. If Loki hadn't decided to sit back and observe, Darcy wouldn't be at home pouting—she didn't usually cry over boys they weren't worth it. Maybe it was because of Amora; Loki didn't torment people like he could, like she thought he could, and he did just let everyone walk over him. Even Thor had pointed that out. He'd snapped though, beat up Harry Osborn, made everyone back off…they'd be back though.

One of the chefs comes out with his spaghetti. Loki thanks him without looking up.

Things were certainly feeling different. Loki felt guilty about not helping Darcy out—last year he would've shrugged it off and called his experiment a success. What was wrong with him? Something had made him soft; people just stopped caring about what he did; when he acted out nobody cared but when he tried to do something right everyone freaked out. How was that fair? Thor was failing half his classes, Darcy mouthed off to everyone, Harry Osborn got away with throwing slanders at whoever he wanted…Loki was being as polite and quiet as he could manage. Sure he snuck out and sure he smoked in the girls' bathroom but he knew better than to deal drugs or snort coke off the desks. And yeah, he didn't turn in most of his work but he passed all his tests—except for history—and did all of his papers. Just because he wasn't a complete psychotic like Amora made him soft?

This was giving him a migraine.

Amora was trying to get inside his head like she always did but for what purpose? Thor had shown complete disinterest in her advances so it wasn't like she was trying to get him. Was she trying to make Loki prove himself? So he prevented Darcy from getting her date with Steve…he didn't _mean_ to do that. Darcy was his, what did she care what he did with his things? Steve was the one that threw him off; he didn't know what it was, but Steve had to be lying or hiding something. Maybe Steve did like Carol; but that didn't make sense because if Steve liked her he'd be a stuttering mess around her and he wasn't, he was only like that with Loki. Yeah, Loki got into a fight with Harry Osborn but that wasn't any kind of proof either, he was finally done with all of Osborn's bullshit so they beat the crap out of each other. Then there was the party…Amora wasn't even there—at least not that Loki saw—and nothing even happened he stood on the balcony with Steve until they got tired.

Loki was mashing the hell out of his meatballs. He barely notices when Steve slides a penny across the table to him. _Idiot_. He could just ask what's on his mind instead of being so cheesy. Loki looks at it and sighs, pocketing the coin.

"Are you feeling okay?" Steve asks. "You look…exhausted."

He sighs. "May I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Would you have taken Darcy to the dance?" Loki picks at the edible portions of his food, not looking up.

"Darcy? Yeah, I guess so. We're friends." Steve furrows his brow. "Why?"

"Darcy…she does this thing where she'll like someone but always ends up getting disappointed when they date someone else or aren't everything she imagined. Honestly, I think it's because she's not attracted to the idea of a relationship, she just thinks she is." Loki sets down his fork and pushes his plate away. "You see…I was supposed to get you to go with Darcy to the dance but you're going with Carol and now she doesn't want to go."

Steve frowns, looking down. "I didn't know Darcy liked me…" He looks back up at Loki and smirks. "Is that why it seemed like you were trying to sell her to me?" Loki groans and flops his head down on the table. Steve's face falls. "Is she really that upset? Why didn't she just ask me herself?"

Loki sits up and throws his arms out dramatically. "EXACTLY! Thank you!" A few people turn their heads to look at them. He sighs, rubbing his temples; at least _someone_ understood. "I should've just been blunt about all of this but—I knew you liked someone and I didn't want to just throw Darcy at you…"

"Y-you-you know who I uhh—who I like?" Steve stammers nervously and rolls his shoulders.

"Well, yeah, Rogers…you said yes, didn't you? At least Carol's got a personality compared to some of the other girls in our grade." Loki stabs at his food. "She's smart and attractive too so at least you won't be bored."

Steve nods. "Right…I like Carol…" They sit in uneasy silence, Steve chewing on his lip; Loki was still stabbing at his food, obviously done with it. He clears his throat. "I don't get off for another hour but…if you want to wait, I could drive you home?"

Loki shakes his head.

"No, thank you. I walked here, I'll walk back." Loki pulls out his wallet and lays money on the table. Steve stares at him.

"We're ten minutes from your house—that's a _long_ walk. I can drive you, really." He frowns.

Loki brushes himself off and smirks. "Relax, Rogers. You think I'd walk here without packing some heat?" He lifts his sweater slightly; a pair of scissors was sticking out of the hem of his bottoms. Loki was a weird kid. "Besides you'd just have to drive back this way to get home."

Steve nods. They both stand, Loki offering him a tip; he refuses but Loki sticks it into his apron pocket when he's not looking. Steve walks him to the door both not sure what else to say. Loki turns to him and smiles lightly, his arms pressed against him and itching like crazy. "I'll see you, Steve."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow I guess." He waves him out and notices that Loki was wearing a skirt again.

Steve felt his heart jump.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys.**

**I know I've had a few readers get impatient for something to happen but I'm really REALLY grateful to everyone who's stuck with me for this long. I'm not that great a writer, but I LOVE to write and I love Steve/Loki and I'm sorry that the Steve and Loki thing is taking forever...I wanted to really draw out this relationship between them.**

**I promise things will really start taking off soon. :)**

**Disclaimer: Do not own Marvel Universe**

**Warning: If anything it's language**

* * *

"Did you ask Jane to homecoming?"

Steve needed to hang out with some friends to calm himself down. Having other guys around would keep his mind from working against him and Thor was always happy to have company while his parents were away. Clint and Bucky had tagged along as well.

Thor shakes his head. They all jeer and shove at him playfully.

"What? Come on, man, why not?"

"Yeah, dude, Jane's cute."

He grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I—my friends asked if we could attend as a group and I could not refuse."

"And you couldn't ask her because…?"

"My friends do not have such a thing as a homecoming at their school."

"Prep school friends?" Thor nods. Bucky bites into his pizza. "Yeah, well…you can still dance with her, right? Me—I'm just going with Nats and she's not always so big on dancing in public."

Clint snorts. "Too bad I'm going with Bobbi Morse, isn't it?"

"Shut up, dick, you should've made up while you could-"

Steve laughs and kicks Bucky. "Shut up." He yawns, rubbing his eyes. Sleep wasn't much of an option right now. After Loki had left Sunday night, Steve regretted not saying everything that was on his mind. He regretted not grabbing Loki and telling him how much he liked him, how much he wanted for them to just sit and talk, how much he wanted to ask him to the dance instead of going with Carol.

But Carol was so great. She was funny and smart and Steve could see them being great friends but not—well, she just wasn't Loki.

There was so much about Loki that he didn't know, so much he wanted to find out, and Steve had to really work at it. It had taken him almost a month before Loki was starting conversations with him; before he was laugh and using facial expressions and telling him what was on his mind. Steve was actually attracted to the idea of just pushing and pushing until he could find every little thing about Loki that he could. He'd come up with so many scenarios in his head where he told Loki how he felt but they all ended with Loki either laughing or never talking to him again. The worst ones were where Thor never talked to him again.

"What about you Steve?" Bucky nudges him.

"Hmm?"

"Well…Carol was the one that asked you. Do you even want to _go_ with Carol?" Bucky finishes off his crust, licking his fingers. "What happened to that one you liked?"

Steve glares at Bucky.

Thor grins. "Steven likes someone? Who?"

"Yeah, who?"

The three of them start chanting 'who', Steve turning bright red. He laughs and waves them down. "It doesn't matter who…I don't think they like me back." They groan. "What? I don't want to get rejected, that would be embarrassing."

"Steve…" Clint rolls his eyes. "That's why you reject them before they can reject you. Rejection is hot, dude, it makes them want you more."

"Yeah, except with _Natasha_, rejection is a major turn on because she likes it when the submissive tries to become dominant." Bucky smirks.

The three of them laugh. Clint takes his shoe off and throws it at him. "Shut up!"

Thor clears his throat, nudging Steve. "Steven, my friend, why would you agree to go with Carol if you like someone else? I do not believe it is fair to her."

"I know, I just—Carol's really nice though and I couldn't say no…" Thor raises his brow. "I'm not going to keep going out with her afterwards unless I actually make a connection, don't look at me like that."

"Why do you not tell this other person that you like them? Are they seeing someone else?"

"No, nothing like that…"

Bucky shakes his head, laughing. "Steve, quit being such a wuss. Just admit your feelings and move on with it. And, hey, Carol's a babe; if you get the cold shoulder just cuddle up to her. OH SHIT—did you see that?! Brady just got sacked—_hard_—looks like he's down-" He grabs for the remote, turning up the game.

Steve sighs.

He _had_ to tell Loki how he was feeling. He knew he had to. Steve couldn't sleep, he couldn't focus, all he thought about was Loki. Of course it didn't help that Loki was home; he walks downstairs, a book open in his hand and glasses on the tip of his nose; he gives Steve a small and walks into the kitchen, grabbing a water and wandering back up to his room.

Steve was going to do it. He was going to tell Loki by Friday.

* * *

Friday came.

The team had lost by one; Northend got the ball in range for a field goal and took it, it was good strategy and they still qualified for states; Steve didn't particularly care for how the other team played though; a lot of name-calling, swearing, things that really didn't need to be brought onto the field. In the end, Steve found himself distracted but by what he didn't want to admit. It was stuck in the back of his head and driving him crazy; his mind was drifting the whole game; he'd made several technical errors but luckily nothing that cost them any points. Coach was proud of them and congratulated them despite their grumbling. Most of the school hated the students from Northend; they were…different.

He takes a few minutes longer in the shower—waiting until the rest of the team was on their way out—slicking his hair back with both hands. The hot water relaxed his aching muscles but he still felt so tense.

Steve had to get Loki out of his head.

"Good game, Rogers." The coach says as Steve rubs a towel over his wet hair. "See you at practice on Monday—take it easy at the dance this weekend," he teases, winking.

"Yes, sir, I'll try."

Steve pulls his shirt on and slings his bag over his shoulder, sighing. He didn't feel like going to the post-game party…he needed a night alone with laundry and leftovers. Hopefully there was something good on TV.

This was torture. Steve was supposed to move on from Loki but everything was just drawing him in. It didn't help that despite everything and all of his faults Loki had to seem like this really great caring guy that people couldn't see. Everyone was too busy dwelling on what was wrong with him and half the things that they thought were wrong didn't even matter. Steve couldn't stop thinking about him. He'd gotten a C on his last history test because he was so engulfed into his daydreams. He was with Carol now. What if she wanted to keep going out after homecoming? What if Steve wanted to like her? She was nice and smart and funny but she just—she wasn't Loki.

Thor was standing against the fence of the parking lot when Steve walked out. He was talking to Ororo Munroe—a girl from Northend—but most people just called her Storm. She and Thor had dated at one time but she ended it. They still hung out a lot. Steve sneaks past them.

He takes a deep breath to clear his head. When he got home he'd eat some of that leftover pizza, watch some movies, and get the laundry done. Tomorrow he needed to pick up his dress pants and shirt from the drycleaners and remember to pick Carol up by six. Hopefully his mother wouldn't make too much of a fuss about him going to a dance with a girl she hasn't met yet. She could be rather intolerable. He tosses his stuff into the back of his truck and checks his phone. They were out of milk. Steve grumbles to himself; the gas station was three blocks from where they lived, he didn't understand why she couldn't walk to get some. He opens the door and swears under his breath.

Loki was sitting on the hood of his truck, his head resting against the windshield, feet on the bumper, and smoking a cigarette. Steve shuts the door. "Hey."

"Hey." Loki snuffs his cigarette and sits up. "Mind giving me a ride?"

"Did Darcy ditch you?" Steve motions for him to get in.

Loki hops off the truck and fixes his shorts. How was he not freezing? "Not exactly…I came clean and talked to her but she's bitching at me now for not saying anything so I told her I was going to a party with some of the guys from Northend." He gets in the passenger side.

"Lying, Loki?" He smirks.

"Hey, I was sincere and apologized; she should've asked you out when she had the chance."

Steve takes a deep breath and starts the truck. "Well…you know I like spending time with you…" Loki smiles at him and puts his feet up on the dashboard. He had such long beautiful legs. Steve tried not to stare at them as they pulled out of the lot.

* * *

_Steve pulls into Loki's driveway and turns off the car. He looks to Loki. Loki pushes the hair out of his face; his eyes were so big and green. His knees were curved up, his feet resting on the dashboard. The shorts he was wearing only came down halfway on his thighs. Loki's legs looked so soft and smooth and Steve wanted to touch them; they were so pale though—no freckles or bumps or moles just inches and inches of beautiful skin._

"_Thanks for the ride."_

_He was looking at Steve the way Steve wanted him to be, the way Steve resisted to look at him. Steve reaches out to rest his hand on his knee. Loki's skin was so cool to the touch. He lets his hand glide down his leg slowly, experimenting how far he could take this; his skin was as soft as he imagined. Surprisingly Loki lets him, Steve's fingers teasing the hem of his shorts. Loki bites his lip and hums. Steve loves that little noise. He takes Steve's hand in his; he shifts, crawling nimbly onto Steve's lap and straddling him._

"_I have a confession to make, Steve…" Loki blushes. "I really like you…"_

_Loki places Steve's hands on his hips and tells him to close his eyes. He feels him run his hands through his hair, tracing his face, shoulders and arms; he makes a small noise when Loki kisses his neck. Loki was only teasing him. Steve's heart starts to pound when he feels Loki lean forward slowly, their lips brushing together-_

Steve sits up abruptly when the movie he'd been watching screams; even though it was past Halloween all of the channels were still playing slashers. He rubs his eyes and checks the clock. Two AM. Steve sets the laundry aside and slumps down the hall to his room, crawling into bed without bothering to move the sheets…he was too exhausted.

The cat howls at him as it jumps onto his bed, curling against his side and rubbing him for attention. Steve grumbles to himself. It was too hot in his room. He takes off his shirt and jeans and lies back down with a sigh. His mind starts to drift once more…

His mother coughs in the room next to his. Steve needed to sleep. Peacefully. Without any dreams. But in order to do that Loki needed to get out of his head. He picks up the book next to his bed and tries to read that; it had taken him a while but he was nearly done with _Pride and Prejudice_ and Elizabeth was about to confess her feelings to Mr. Darcy.

_Loki's hair was wet from the early morning mist but Steve runs a hand through it. They shouldn't be doing this. Loki presses into Steve's advances, taking his hand in his and laying it against his chest. Steve caresses his cheek and pulls him closer, the sun starting to rise in the east as their lips meet for a first sweet kiss-_

Steve groans.

* * *

The animal shelter got really busy during Halloween. Since animals—especially black cats—became targets of violence Halloween night, they'd put out flyers for months asking people to bring in any strays off the street to keep them safe and find them a home. Loki had been working the front desk since 4am and he'd seen more animals brought in in an hour than he had in one day. At least people were bringing them in…he'd hate to hear about all the horror stories the next day he came in to volunteer.

Loki flips through his book, the amount of people coming in and out finally calming down. The homecoming dance was tonight. That would at least keep the kids from their school off the streets tonight. With the city only a few minutes away he was surprised Frigga still let them out on Halloween. Darcy still didn't want to go to the dance, and Loki wasn't able to sway her mind, but he sort of wanted to. It was always fun to see what couples crashed and burned.

"_Lokiiii_…" a co-worker comes out from the back, holding their hands at shoulder level. "Do I _really_ have to clean the kitty boxes? I just got my nails done."

He closes his book and turns on his stool to scowl at them. "Tanya, I told you half an hour ago that you could choose between the dog pens or the litter boxes…why haven't you done either of them yet?"

"Because I just got my nails done, I just told you…make Ida clean the kitty boxes, she's being a bitch today anyway…" Tanya walks in the back, still holding her hands up; all of the dogs bark once Tanya enters their pens.

Loki rolls his eyes, returning to his book.

The buzzer above the door sounds when it opens. "Are you still taking food donations?"

"You can just set them on the counter, thank you for your patronage." Loki sighs, turning his page. "If you would like to further your contributions to the shelter you could adopt an animal in need of a home or perhaps you'd like to sign up for our volunteer program? Our shelter is open for 24 hours and we could use all the help we need. If not than thank you and have a nice day."

"A bit robotic, you may want to work on that," Steve snickers.

Loki looks up with a smile, closing his book. "Nice to see someone from our school contributing to animal needs…" He looks over the bags of food Steve had brought in. "These look brand new."

"I uhh—I needed a reason to come inside and talk to the guy behind the counter."

Steve leans on the countertop, Loki smiling and tucking his hair behind his ear. "So…you came all the way to this side of town and bought $30 worth of pet food just to talk to me? I'm afraid to ask what I did."

"No, no, you didn't—you didn't actually _do_ anything—I mean—umm—I mean, I just-" Loki quirks his brow; Steve turns red, fiddling his hands together.

"You're flirting again."

He groans and lays his head down on his arms. Loki places a hand on his, jostling him slightly until he looks up; he smiles lightly. "Are you nervous about your date tonight? Because if you are I'm probably not the person to talk to."

"Well it's—it's not technically a date-"

"Hey, Loki," a blonde with a deep voice pokes their head around the corner. "Did we have anyone bring in cat litter? We're running low in the back." The blonde looks Steve over and smiles. "Ooo, he's cute…you single, sweetie?"

"Yes, and he's also sixteen and wouldn't know what to do with the mess you have going on downstairs." Loki rolls his eyes, grabbing a box of litter and handing it to them. "Make sure all the cats have clean water too, okay?"

They laugh and walk back the way they came. "Give us both two years and we can make it happen."

Steve looks to Loki, smiling and raising his eyebrows. Loki shakes his head. "I don't take you as someone to know many pre-op transvestites." He makes note of the food Steve brought in and heaves each bag up, placing it under the counter.

"I'm not _that_ sheltered." Loki laughs at him, writing a receipt. "So is everyone here…?"

"Ida and Donnie are both pre-op, Tanya is post-op, and I'm neither," Loki smirks and hands him the receipt. "Now…what did you want to talk about? I mean, you came all this way…" He smiles and leans forward on the counter. Steve looks away bashfully and stares at his shoes. Loki knew something was up; Steve was acting weird…_weirder_. When he drove him home last night he kept looking at him like Loki was going to stab him in the neck. He was probably just nervous about the dance…especially since it seemed like Carol had somewhere along the line taken Steve's interest. Too bad Loki wasn't so sure Carol liked Steve…she kept flirting with him and then turned her eyes towards Bucky.

Steve takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair. "Look, I…I've been wanting to tell you something all week I just—I don't know how to word it…" he sighs. "And I really like spending time with you, but I—I uhh…"

The door buzzer goes off when a woman with a cardboard box comes in, a disgruntled looking man following her. They whisper harshly at one another while Steve continues to stumble over his words, the added audience seeming to make him more nervous.

"I'll be right with you," Loki tells the couple, looking back to Steve. "You were saying?"

"Is he droppin' off an animal?" the woman interrupts. "Because I have animals to drop off…he doesn't have anythin' with him."

"Ma'am, I said I'd be right with you."

"These kittens ain't gettin' any lighter!"

The man grunts. "Will you shut up, woman, he said to wait a minute! So just sit yer ass down, you don't know what's what."

"You don't know nothin', you old bastard," she snaps. Loki sighs. Steve looks at him desperately and Loki really wanted to talk but… "C'mon, kid, I just wanna get rid of these little fucks."

"ALRIGHT! Okay, just bring them up…" Loki leans over the counter to Steve. "Give me one minute, this won't take long. I'm really sorry." The woman places the box on the counter, Steve having to move to get out of her way. There were five kittens, all different colors and spots and stripes; they were all playing with each other. "They're so sweet…"

"At least _you_ think so," the man grumbles. "Wanted to give 'em to my niece but she has to be a bitch about it."

Loki forces a smile. "Okay…umm—where did you find them?"

"What kinda question is that?!" the woman defends, scowling at him. "You want 'em or not?"

"Ma'am, I have to make sure they're not stolen-"

Ida pops their head around the corner. "Loki, where's the scrub brush for the bowls?"

"Ask Tanya-"

"Who are you to accuse me of stealin' kittens?! I never stolen a thing in my life!"

"He ain't accusin' you of nuthin', leave that poor kid to do his job!"

"Loki—the scrub brush isn't by the sink!"

"Oh shut up, you son-offa-bitch!"

"You're the one that wanted to drown the li'l devils like we were savages, you passive-aggressive bitch!"

"Sir, ma'am, please-"

Loki doesn't realize what's happening until Steve has grabbed both his shoulders firmly and pulls him up onto the counter. Their faces were inches away from each other, Loki's face burning; he wasn't used to being this close…especially not with Steve. The older couple is still fighting, Ida and Tanya are giggling—most likely at Loki and Steve, he can't tell. One of Steve's hands holds Loki on the counter and the other holds Loki's neck in place.

Steve's face was burning too. Loki could feel it.

"I'm sick of the interruptions, okay? I—I can't take this anymore and I need to tell you…" Steve takes a deep breath, opening his eyes to look Loki in the face. "I like you. And I like you a lot. I don't know why, I don't know when it happened or even how but all I know is that I can't stop think about you and it's—it's driving me crazy. I wanted to ask you to the dance tonight but—but Carol asked me first and I just-"

Loki's eyes widen when Steve's lips press against his. He pulls away from him, Loki slumping back down onto the floor. Steve keeps his head low and fixes his jacket as he slips out the door.

The couple is screaming at one another, Tanya and Ida both saying Loki's name; he touches his mouth.

_What just happened?_


End file.
